Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Beijing and Islamabad may have denied reports about Chinese troops’ presence along the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), but a stamp of approval on the claims made by an Indian Army official has come from US security agencies, a leading Indian daily reported on Sunday.
Northern Army Commander Lt Gen KT Parnaik had said at a seminar last week that China`s presence in PoK was "increasing steadily" and its troops were "actually present" along the LoC, 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," Parnaik said.
Both China and Pakistan had denied the claims. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the reports were baseless and ridiculous.
Islamabad too denied the reports as "totally baseless". "This is the most absurd piece of information I have heard. It is totally baseless," Foreign office spokesperson Tehmina Janjua said.
However, US security agencies have confirmed to the authorities in India that China is actually lining up troops along the LoC.
"We have a strong real time intelligence sharing mechanism with the US and they have conveyed the same thing to Indian agencies including RAW – that these troops are stationed all along the LoC in PoK. They conveyed this to Indian agencies independently without us seeking any confirmation from them," an official told the newspaper.
"Their confirmation seemed to be based on technical intelligence. They said these Chinese troops seemed to be involved in construction activities," the official added.
Lt Gen KT Parnaik had 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.
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.