Ladakh inhabitants’ rue over creation of ‘Buffer Zone’ at Sino-India border

In the middle of de-induction of troops by India and China in disputed Ladakh sector to deescalate the ongoing tension, the people living near the borders on Monday expressed displeasure over creation of ‘Buffer Zones’ in the area, where earlier both sides patrolled to claim the ownership.

They said that shrinking the grazing land would have been a major security and economical concern for the villagers, who depend upon sheep farming.

Addressing a press conference at remote border village Phobrang in Eastern Ladakh sector, locals including elected public representatives of the region claimed that the new ‘buffer zones’ have been established in areas previously under control of India, where the local sheep rearers usually go to graze their live-stocks.

“The decision of creating a new buffer zone, where nobody would be allowed, will impact the security situation of the entire country as this area is earlier under the control of Indian troops,” said KonchokStanzin, an elected councillor from bordering Chushul of Leh district.

Claiming that Chinese troop positions remain either in contested areas or much inside the Indian Territory, Stanzin said, “Our army is vacating areas which were not disputed at all while the Chinese troops are stationed in the areas traditionally patrolled by the Indian Army.”

He further said that India had already given up territory to China during a 2021 agreement to withdraw from contested areas around Ladakh’s Lake Pangong Tso Lake.

“We raised similar concerns in earlier disengagement, like in the Pangong Tso area where our army again lost a huge chunk of land,” he said.

“This is not only about security but villagers would also lose a massive pasture area, which we would use as grazing land,” said Stanzin.

“Earlier, our concern was about Chinese incursions only but now the situation is more worrying as our government is giving up our land happily,” he claimed. “If India’s approach remains the same, we are going to lose more land.”

Pertinently, recent withdrawal of troops from the contested area of Gogra-Hot Springs after a consensus was reached last week, during the 16th round of bilateral talks between leading Indian and Chinese military commanders. Both the armies lodged heads in a tense border dispute since June 2020, particularly after Galwan valley clashes, twenty Indian Army personnel, including the Commanding Officer of 16th Bihar Regiment, lost their lives at the hands of Chinese troops.