External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj hit out against China on Monday over the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) helicopters entering Indian airspace in Uttarakhand’s Barahoti region in Chamoli district.
When there are incursions on the ground, they find the reasoning that since the boundary is not settled, that’s why many times mistakes are made. But we sit down and resolve these issues. For the first time, an issue regarding the airspace has arisen. We will definitely raise this. I can’t tell you now what the manner (of raising it) would be. But I can assure you 101 percent that we will raise it with China.Sushma Swaraj
Meanwhile, China defended its actions, saying that the countries have a territorial dispute in the eastern section of their boundary and the Chinese military carries out regular patrolling in the relevant areas.
While the details can be obtained from the Ministry of Defence, “in principle, China and India have territorial disputes in the eastern section of the China-India border,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told the media on Saturday.
The Chinese military carry out regular patrolling in the relevant areas. We hope that the two sides will make joint efforts to maintain tranquility and peace in the border areas.Hua Chunying, spokesperson, Chinese Foreign Ministry
Two helicopters of the People's Liberation Army of China hovered over Chamoli district on Saturday, triggering concern in India's security establishment about the PLA's fourth such incursion into Indian airspace since March this year.
Official sources in New Delhi said the choppers, which returned to the Chinese side after about five minutes, could have carried out aerial photography of Indian ground troops during what was possibly a reconnaissance mission.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is probing the incident.
On previous occasions, Chinese helicopters had entered 4.5 kilometres into Indian territory, an area that China claims as its own and recognises as Wu-Je.
Barahoti is one of three border posts in the sector, comprising Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, where Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) jawans are not allowed to carry weapons and are in civilian clothes under a unilateral decision taken by the Central government in June 2000.
In 1958, India and China listed Barahoti, an 80-square-kilometre sloping pasture, as a disputed area where neither side would send their troops. In the 1962 India-China war, the PLA did not enter the 545-km middle sector, focusing on the Western (Ladakh) and Eastern (Arunachal Pradesh) sectors.
(With inputs from PTI)
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