Back in early May when the PLAGF advanced up to Finger-4 at the Lake’s northern Bank, the logic of pre-emption had then dictated that the IA & ITBP conduct a parallel movement eastwards on the Lake’s southern bank & another such move along the northern bank of the Spanggur Tso Lake that lies below Panggong Tso Lake. But this did not happen due to the successive Govts of India’s institutional reliance on the MEA & its infamous China Study Group (CSG) to totally rule out all such pre-emption tactics of India’s armed forces because both the MEA & CSG had become mental prisoners of their own words, i.e. the various agreements on CBMs inked between 1993 & 2013 would be enough to resolve all bilateral disputes. Consequently, it took a bloody mortal combat on June 15 at the Galwan River-Valley to wake the Govt of India out of decades of slumber & subsequently the IA’s ground commanders were given full authority to respond to fluid tactical situations. And this is exactly what happened on the night of August 29/30, when the PLAGF sent a reinforced recce/scout team at nighttime to occupy the dominating heights of Thakung (33 39 44.39 N, 78 43 45.79 E), Helmet Top (33 39 38.55 N, 78 44 27.09 E), Point 5167 (33 37 20.62 N, 78 43 1.25 E), Bump (33 37 26.85 N, 78 45 30.16 E) & Black Top (33 37 39.93 N, 78 46 51.60 E) located south of the Panggong Tso Lake’s southern bank. Recce/scout elements of the Special frontier Force Vikas Battalions (who are tasked specially for building high-altitude military structures & manning them) alerted the nearby IA & ITBP garrisons, which in turn quickly reached the sites & blocked any further advance by the PLAGF’s recce/scout team & the latter had to turn back & leave.
I have uploaded above a map showing all the dispositions & features, which clearly indicate that the PLAGF is now also eyeing occupation of the two hilltops (Magar Hill & Gurung Hill) through which the Spanggur Gap flows westwards towards Chushul. These two hills were always in India’s possession & were vacated only during the 1962 war as part of an organised retreat. Therefore, after the war had ended & the PLAGF had withdrawn from those areas, nobody except the CSG’s illogical directives on the patrolling limits has so far prevented the IA from reoccupying those hilltops. Now, since China has already proven its intention of not abiding by any of the CBMs that were agreed upon in 1996, the IA is now free to reoccupy all those hilltops to the south of Panggong Tso & west of Spanggur Tso that it had possession of back in 1962. But make no mistake, for the PLAGF still harbours hopes of sitting atop both Magar Hill & Gurung Hill before the end of this November.
Source: Prasun Sengupta
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(I'm used to reading Pakistani forum discussions so forgive me)
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