Chinese Troops Move Into Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir

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Chinese troops present in Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir



New Delhi: In a shocking revelation on Wednesday, Army Chief General VK Singh told media persons that around 4,000 Chinese are currently present in the Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK).

“There are certain construction working teams, a large number is available. Around 3,000 to 4,000 of these people are present including certain people for security purposes. There are certain engineers troops. Now (like) our own engineers are combat engineers. So, in some way they are part of the PLA,” he told reporters here.

The Army Chief was responding to a query on the presence of Chinese Army troops in the PoK on the sidelines of the 16th Field Marshal K M Cariappa Memorial Lecture delivered by National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon.The statement comes against the backdrop of concerns in India about the presence and engagement of Chinese troops in PoK, which India considers as its own land.

IAF Chief N A K Browne had made this clear when he said in an interview that increasing presence of China in PoK warrants India’s “attention”.

New Delhi has already conveyed its concerns to China over the presence of its troops in PoK and its activities in that region.

Last year, there were reports of presence of about 11,000 Chinese troops in Jammu and Kashmir’s Gilgit-Baltistan region held by Pakistan but Beijing said there was no wrong-doing.

Recently, a senior Indian Army commander had said that Chinese are mainly engaged in construction activities of highways and dams in PoK as well as the northern areas which are very close to the LoC.

This Chinese presence in PoK is widely seen as a move by the Dragon to keep a vigil over India with the help of its good friend Pakistan and also as interference in the Indo-Pak issues.

Pakistan, however, has time and again accepted the Chinese presence in its territory by saying that the Asian superpower is helping it build infrastructure on the other side of Kashmir.

This is the second time in the last one month when India and China are at loggerheads.

Sometimes back, China had taken strong exception to India’s plan to explore oil in South China Sea saying that any exploration activity in its coast would amount to “infringement” of its sovereignty.

“China enjoys indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and our position is based on full historical and jurisprudential evidence,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Hong Lei had said.

India had, however, rebuffed China’s objection saying its cooperation with Vietnam was as per international laws and it would like the cooperation to grow.

Importantly, China’s biggest neighbourhood rival, Japan, has backed India’s oil hunt favouring greater interaction between Indian and Japanese Navies.

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Chinese Troops Join Pakistan Exercise

By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI
Published: 10 Aug 2011 10:23



NEW DELHI - The Pakistan Army has included Chinese troops for the first time in exercises that were conducted along the border with the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan, Indian Defence Ministry sources said.

The 101 Engineering Regiment of China's People's Liberation Army is taking part in the exercises, the sources added. No Defence Ministry official has publicly commented on the exercises, but Indian Army officials privately have expressed great concern.

Indian military strategy calls for the capability to fight Pakistan and China simultaneously. While Indian defense officials admit India will spend $100 billion in the next 10 years on weapons and equipment, military analysts here say that figure could well reach $150 billion, given plans to prepare for both Pakistan and China.

New Delhi claims China has been helping Pakistan build its nuclear arsenal along with delivery systems. Pakistan buys a variety of weapons, aircraft and equipment from China, including airborne warning aircraft, fighter jets and precision-guided munitions.

Recent sales of Chinese conventional weapons to Pakistan include JF-17 fighters along with production facilities, F-22P frigates with helicopters, K-8 trainer jets, T-85 tanks, F-7 aircraft, small arms and ammunition. Pakistan also is seeking to buy 36 Chinese-made J-10 fighters.

Pakistan also has sought Chinese help to build nuclear-capable missiles near Rawalpindi, Indian Defence Ministry sources said.

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US bombers could blitz areas in Pakistan

WASHINGTON: Support is growing in the U.S. Congress for expanding American military action in Pakistan beyond drone strikes already used to target militants in Pakistani territory, a senior Republican U.S. senator says.

The comments by Senator Lindsey Graham, an influential Republican voice on foreign policy and military affairs, follow remarks by the top U.S. military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, accusing Pakistan last week of supporting the militant Haqqani network's September 13 attack on the U.S. embassy in Kabul.

Graham said in an interview on Tuesday that U.S. lawmakers might support military options beyond the drone strikes that have been going on for years inside Pakistani territory.

Those options may include using U.S. bomber planes within Pakistan.

The South Carolina Republican said he did not advocate sending U.S. ground troops into Pakistan.

"I would say when it comes to defending American troops, you don't want to limit yourself," Graham said. "This is not a boots-on-the-ground engagement -- I'm not talking about that, but we have a lot of assets beyond drones."

"A perfect world ... would be Afghan, Pakistan and (U.S. and NATO) coalition forces working jointly on both sides of border to deny safe havens, inside of Afghanistan and on the other side," in Pakistan's western tribal regions from which the Haqqani network and other militants are believed to operate, Graham said.

Graham said U.S. lawmakers will think about stepping up the military pressure. "If people believe it's gotten to the point that that is the only way really to protect our interests I think there would be a lot of support," Graham said.

The Haqqani network is allied with Afghanistan's Taliban and is believed to have close links to al Qaeda. It fights U.S. and NATO forces in eastern Afghanistan, operating out of bases in Pakistan's North Waziristan.

U.S. drone aircraft in recent years have targeted mostly al Qaeda figures rather than Haqqani militants.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?...s-in-Pakistan#;

[Luke]

This has the set up of a Korean "Conflict". Sooner or later Pakistan will be strongly linked to North Korea and China and other countries of that ilk.

[Phil Fiord]

I see this as our pulling out and bad relationship with Pakistan being an opportunity for China to make inroads of control.

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4000 Chinese, including PLA men, in PoK: Army chief

TNN Oct 6, 2011, 12.33AM IST
Tags:

• PoK|
• Gen V K Singh|
• Beijing-Islamabad nexus

(Around 3,000 to 4,000 of these people (Chinese) are present, including some for security purposes," said Army chief General V K Singh on Wednesday)

NEW DELHI: The Indian security establishment is becoming increasingly concerned about the presence of around 4,000 Chinese construction personnel, including combat engineers from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, even as infiltration levels across the Line of Control into J&K have recorded a sharp jump in recent days.

"There are certain construction working teams (in PoK)...Around 3,000 to 4,000 of these people (Chinese) are present, including some for security purposes," said Army chief General V K Singh on Wednesday.

Responding to questions on the sidelines of a function, Gen Singh said the Chinese teams in PoK included PLA combat engineers.

This comes shortly after defence minister A K Antony told Parliament last month that India has asked China to stop its infrastructure development activities in PoK. "We have conveyed our concerns to China and asked them to cease such activities," he said.

Even Northern Army commander Lt-Gen K T Parnaik has warned that India not only faces a threat from Chinese troops along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control with China but it could well extend to the 778-km volatile LoC with Pakistan due to the expansive Beijing-Islamabad military nexus.

"The Chinese presence in Gilgit-Baltistan and the Northern Areas is increasing steadily. China is involved in construction and upgradation of numerous roads, bridges and hydropower projects. Chinese links with Pakistan, through PoK, lend strength to the China-Pakistan nexus, which has been of great security concern for us," said Lt-Gen Parnaik.

Asked about the security situation in J&K, the Army chief said the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK, with over 42 terror training camps, was very much alive and kicking. "It's intact. A concentration of large number of terrorists on the other side exists and they are trying to infiltrate. We are making sure that their efforts fail," said Gen Singh. Just in the last fortnight, for instance, the Army has killed over 10 terrorists in different encounters.