China's building activity cuts through Karakoram Pass, raises concern

New Delhi: Satellite imagery and communication had intercepted along the 3,488 kilometre Line of Control (LAC) showing that the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) had undertaken a significant road and building infrastructure upgrade across Karakoram Pass and Aksai Chin to ramp up military capacities and capability against India.

The surveillance data stands as an evidence to conclude that despite Beijing's verbal commitments of mutual military disengagement and de-escalation from friction point on Ladakh LAC, the PLA has no intentions of troop or equipment withdrawal from the area.

While the government is tight-lipped about such developments, the number of military vehicles and troop hutments have increased along the 597-km Ladakh LAC with a number of fresh dug-outs indicating that the PLA is prepared for a long haul with the Indian Army.

A senior military commander had said, "Nearly all the kutcha roads have been surfaced in the Aksai Chin area with the axis being widened for bigger vehicles carrying heavy equipment."

The Chinese infra building activity has also increased in remote areas with new logistics spot that will have an underground petroleum and oil storage facility coming up at Golmund. The new depot is nearly 1,000 km from the LAC but is linked to Lhasa via Tibet Railway. It will enhance the capacity and capability of the PLA to deploy in the Tibetan border with India for a long time and feed the troops in case of a worst-case scenario.

The 1962 Xinjiang military command town of Kangxiwar across Karakoram Pass and on the banks of Karakash River is being revived with direct highway connectivity to Hotan, a critical airbase of PLA Air Force for dominating the restive Uighurs and a launchpad of fighter operations in case of a worst-case scenario in East Ladakh.

Hotan is located 320 km from the Ladakh LAC.

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