NSAB chief denies reporting Chinese intrusions to PMO

The chairman of NSAB, Shyam Saran, has denied media reports that he has submitted an official report to the PMO accusing the PLA of occupying 640 square km of Indian territory

Senior government officials worry media reports alleging fresh Chinese incursions and assertiveness along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) --- the de facto border between India and China --- threaten to undermine the calm prevailing since early May, when China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) withdrew a tented camp it had established in disputed territory in the Daulat Beg Oldi area in northern Ladakh.

Shyam Saran, chairman of the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB), denied reports by Hindustan Times and Headlines Today that he had submitted an official report to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) accusing the PLA of occupying 640 sq km of Indian territory, saying Indian patrols could no longer enter the Depsang Bulge in the Daulat Beg Oldi sector and concluding these restrictions on Indian patrolling now defined the LAC.

“The NSAB does not concern itself with operational matters,” Saran told Business Standard.

The NSAB chief, who earlier headed the PMO’s initiative to improve infrastructure along the LAC, especially roads, has long been a frequent traveller to the border. His recommendations, in a series of reports dating back to 2007-09, form the basis of India’s road construction effort along the LAC. But his recent trip to Ladakh was in a personal capacity, he said.

“The NSAB is an autonomous body whose members serve in their individual capacities. They undertake visits to various parts of the country to familiarise themselves with the local situation assist deliberations. No mandate was sought or given by the PMO or the government,” he clarified. “The NSAB has the strengthening of border management on its agenda and will, on the basis of all inputs available to it, make appropriate recommendations to the government after due deliberation.”

According to Headlines Today, Defence Minister A K Antony declined to say anything about the issue. Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid said, “I don’t want to comment on Shyam Saran’s report. Allow us some time to study the report.”

South Block officials expressed frustration India’s geographical disadvantage at several points on the LAC was routinely played up as if it was a recent occurrence. Officials say Indian troops have always been at a serious disadvantage in Daulat Beg Oldi because of its geographical isolation, which tardy road building has failed to overcome.

A senior government official deplored the tendency of the media, which was learning of these situations only now, to sensationalise each “discovery” as if it had just occurred. The official added the digital revolution and improved telephone connectivity permitted Indian soldiers and border populations to draw attention to situations that had, for long, been obscured by remoteness.

This week, media reports alleged Saran’s report to the PMO said the PLA had “incrementally” occupied near 640 sq km (about 30 km by 21 km) in Daulat Beg Oldi, Chumar and Pangong Tso Lake. It was alleged Saran’s report stated the entire Depsang Bulge was now inaccessible to India.