- The Indian “forward policy” (1962) where India tried to force out the Chinese of their territory, led to tensions along Western (Ladakh) sector of the border.
- Along the McMahon Line (eastern sector) Nehru government applied the same forward policy, but the Chinese blocked that. India declared war as Nehru ordered the Army to attack the Chinese and drive them back to “free our territory”.
- The McMahon Line controversy was inherited by India, it created by British (mid-1930s) by seizing Tibetan territory named as NEFA.
- The Chinese knew of Nehru’s plans & would not wait to be attacked. Hence,the war began. The Chinese attack was reactive and General Kaul begun the Indian assault on October 10.
- The PRC government was ready to accept the border alignment insisting re-negotiation through diplomatic process, to wipe out its imperialist origins.
- Nehru, using London’s false claim refused negotiations at Simla Conference as they had legitimized the McMahon Line to back up the refusal (famously known as his ‘Himalayan blunder’).
- In 1954 the Aksai Chin was claimed by the British, an area the Chinese governments had treated as their own for at least a hundred years. Indian policy created a border dispute and ruled out peacefully settlement, through diplomatic negotiation.
- Although the real / pucca soldiers realised the mistake inherent in forward policy, they were mere pawns who were expected to obey the hierarchy.
- The Indian government needs to reverse the earlier decision of Nehru (refusal to negotiate) which was possible under the guise of “talking”, although a secret process of negotiation has been going on.
- The Henderson Brooks Report has exposed the ‘myth of Chinese Aggression’.
- Australian journalist Neville Maxwell’s book ‘India’s China War‘, written in 1970, long spoke about about India’s debacle in the Indo-China war of 1962.
Exams Perspective:
- Henderson Brooks Report
- India China Bilateral Relations
- India China war 1962
- Simla Conference on Indo China border dispute