Jammu: China's presence in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is "increasing steadily" and its
troops are "actually present" along the Line of Control, a top
Army Commander said, adding the Chinese footprints are "too
close for comfort" for India.
"Chinese presence in Gilgit-Baltistan and the Northern
Areas is increasing steadily... There are many people who are
concerned about the fact that if there was to be hostility
between us and Pakistan, what would be the complicity of
Chinese. Not only they are in the neighbourhood but the fact
that they are actually present and stationed along the LoC,"
Northern Army Commander Lt Gen KT Parnaik said here last week
while addressing a seminar.
He said China's links with Pakistan through PoK "lends
strength" to the "nexus" between the two countries which is a
cause of "great security concern" for India.
"As part of (China's) 'strings of pearls' policy,
Chinese footprints are too close for comfort," Parnaik added.
The Army Commander said such a nexus between the
Chinese and Pakistani military "jeopardises our regional
strategic interests in the long run and facilitates speedy
and enhanced deployment of Pakistan armed forces to complement
China's military operations and thus outranks India."
He said China has been found to be involved in the
construction of numerous roads and several hydro-power
projects inside PoK.
Beijing is laying a web of roads that run across areas
as distant from each other as Skardu in PoK and Kunming in
China near Myanmar border.
China has already constructed roads connecting all its
highways to logistic centres and major defence installations
that dot the border with India and the Line of Actual Control
(LAC) in south-eastern Jammu and Kashmir.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, April 06, 2011, 10:56