The great Aksai Chin blunder HE CENTRAL Intel- ligence Agency (CIA) recently released more than one mil- lion reports, notes, cables and other doc: uments relating to the agency's work. Thousands are dealing with India and the subcontinent. ‘Glancing through some of these “Top Secret’ documents, Teame across a note Gating July 15, 1968, whieh contains vital information for India's northern borders. Tis titled "Chinese Communist Troops, West Tibet, Road Construction, Sinkiang to Tibet and Ladakh”. 1t confirms what many historians have been guessing: China had started building a road across the indian teritory in the early 1930s, Tt ‘was only in August 1959 that Jawaharlal Nehru dropped the bombshellin the Lok Sabha: the ‘Tibet-Xinjiang highway’ had been built through Indian temitory. Truth A few months earlier, Nehru hid the truth in Parliament, On April 22, 1959, when the issue of Beijing displaying Indian territory as its own on China's ‘maps came up, Delhi denied the exis: tence of the road. Braj Raj Singh, an Indian MP, quoting “a news item pub- lished in several papers alleging that the Chinese have claimed some 0,000 sq m of our territory,” queried about the Aksal Chin, Nehru answered: “I would suggest to honourable members not to pay much attention to news items emanating sometimes from Hong Kong and sometimes trom other odd places. We have had no such claim Gireetly or indirectly made on us." The Prime Minister deliberately ‘omitted tomention the Aksal Chin. ‘Now, the CIA note shows that in late 1952, the 2 Cavalry Regiment, com- manded by one Han Tse-min, had its headquarters at Gartok (the main trade centre in Western Tibet). The regiment had 800 camels and 130 men garrisoned at Rutok, in the vicinity of the Pangong lake, which is shared by ‘Tibet and Ladakh ‘The same report alfirms that another PLA’s regiment was stationed on the Man at, 18 February 201 by Claude Apri ‘Tibetan side of the Tibet-Ladakh bor- Ger, near Koyul in the Indus Valley in Ladakh. According to the US document, ‘the commandant of the 2 Cavalry announced the Chinese intention to built newroads inthe area, One of them Was a road from Khotan to Rutok; the other one to Suget Karaul (Shahidulla) ending at Vaniilga (at the westem end of the Aksai Chin). ‘The first one was Completed in July 1953, says the report. ‘The alignment of the 1953 route might have Been slightly diferent from pres- ent Aksal Chin road (now NH219) Moreover, it was then not fit for heavy vehicles (only four years later, heavy trucks would be able to ply) ‘tis dificult to believe that the informa. tion available with the US Intelligence agency was unknown to their Indian counterpart; let us not forget that India ‘bad sull'a Consulate General in Kashgar and, therefore, easy access to information, ‘The Hindl-Chint, bhat-Dhat wave was ‘most likely too strong and the PM's col laborators (in particular, BN Mullick, the 1B Chief) were busier pleasing their boss than checking on Chinese advances. Fan ‘Tee-min asserted: "When these roads were completed, the Chinese commu: nists would elose Use Tibet-Ladakh bor- der to trade." It is what happened alter the signature of the Panchsheel Agree ment in 1954, Document ‘The CIA document, also says that Han declared that "the Chinese communists in Sinkiang (Xinjiang) were telling the people that Ladakh belongs to Sinkiang.” Another CIA note written 10 days later, provides details of the tradi- onal routes used by the caravaners. ‘The CIA remarks: “The only Chinese in north-western Tibet are the Chinese Communist troops, seven or eight hun- dred of whom are stationed along the Tibet-Ladakh border. They first appeared in north-western Tibet, in 151, having come from the Khotan." Delhi was not concerned. It would con- tinue doing nothing for several more ‘years, withthe result that the Indian ter- Titory is still occupied by China today. ‘On October 6, 1957, Chinese newspaper uang-ming Jih-pao reported from Hong, Kong: “The Sinklang-Tibet — the high- est highway in the world — has been completed. During the past few days. a number of trucks running on the high- ‘way on a trial basis have arrived in Gar- Tok in Tibet from Yeheng in Xinjiang. ‘The Sinkiane-Tibet Highway... 18 1179 km long, of which 915 km are more than 4,000m above sea level, 130 km of it over ‘000m above sea level, with the highest point being 5,500," spoke of “thirty jeavy-duty trucks, fully loaded with road builders, maintenance equipment and fuels, running on the highway On 2 trial basis” heading towards Tibet. Confrontation Early 1958, five months afer the ‘ometat opening, Subimal Dutt, the indian foreign Seeretary, wrote to Nehru. Dut suggested Sending a reconnoltering partyin the coming spring’ to find out ifthe road had feally been built on the Indian terntory ‘The next day Netinu agreed forthe recon noltering party butadded: "I donot think itis desirable to have alrteconnaissance. Ta fact, 1 do not see What good this ean GO Us. Bven a land reconnaissance will not perhaps be very help Te was only in the fall of 1959 that a CREF patrel consisting of 10 consta- bles attempted to cross over the Lanak Pass to establish a border post in the ‘Aksal Chin, They were confronted by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) which had oecupied the pass. On Octo- ber 20, 1939, tree Indians were cap {ured anid detained by the Chinese. The next day after a short confrontation, ine Indian soldiers were killed and Seven taken prisoner. The Indian media was incensed; Nehru had no other Choice to offically announce the occu pation of the Aksai Chin. "Today, the CIA papers tend to prove that the Aksal Chin road was opened much earlier that thought. ‘The writer 1s an expert on Tribet and China