22071969 Statement of External Affairs Minister Dinesh Singh in Lok Sabha on Reported Building of a New Road by the Chinese inside the Indian Territory, 22 July 1969.

22071969 Statement of External Affairs Minister Dinesh Singh in Lok Sabha on Reported Building of a New Road by the Chinese inside the Indian Territory, 22 July 1969.

We have received information that the Government of Pakistan has begun constructing a road from Mor Khun in Northern Kashmir to Khunjerab Pass on the Kashmir-Xinjiang border. The entire alignment of the road runs in Indian territory which is presently under the illegal and forcible occupation of Pakistan. It is reported that 12,000 Chinese personnel of the People's Liberation Army have been inducted into this area to help build this road and are camped at Mor Khun.

This road will help to extend the Chinese road network in the Tibet-Xinjiang area into Northern Kashmir. It will give easier access to Chinese troops from areas under the illegal occupation of China in North-East Kashmir and from Tibet into the Gilgit area in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which lies to the north of the ceasefire line. The military significance of this road is, therefore, self-evident.

We have lodged emphatic protests with Pakistan and China over the building of this military road in Indian territory, and pointed out that it is a threat to the peace and tranquility of the region. Pakistan's willingness to build the road with Chinese help shows that Pakistan's intentions and ambitions in Kashmir equally serve Chinese designs in the area.

The House is well aware of Sino-Pak military collusion against India. The Government is fully alive to the danger posed to our security and is taking necessary steps to safeguard our interests.

We have been willing at all times to discuss with Pakistan any of the differences that exist between our two countries, and that there has been effort on our part on several occasions to try to resume dialogue with Pakistan which could find a solution to these problems. Unfortunately, there has been very little response from Pakistan, and it is very difficult to have a dialogue unless there is a response from the other side. It is our feeling that if we could strengthen the cooperation that we are hoping for in Asia, namely co-operation in economic terms, perhaps it will be possible to discuss these matters even with Pakistan in an improved atmosphere. This is why we have been hoping that Pakistan would normalize relations under the Tashkent Declaration and that it will be possible for us to 'move further in building many bridges in which it would be possible to find a solution to the difficult problems that exist. There has been so far no obvious trend in Pakistan which will give us any great hope, but we have to go on making this effort, and I am hopeful that may be, over a period of time, the rulers in Pakistan will appreciate that there in much more to gain by cooperation with India, and certainly by co-operation in the economic field than by their dependence on super-powers whatever they may be and building an attitude of hostility towards India. In co-operation we shall both gain rather than by over dependence that is coming in Pakistan because of their superpower relations.

We came to know of it much earlier. In fact we had some indications of it at the beginning of the year. We had to verify it naturally because it involved certain considerations, and we I wanted to be exact before we took this matter up, and it took time because of the difficulties there. It is only after the snow has melted that an attempt is being made to construct this road. Of course, there had been surveys and other things going on for some time, and there had been an old track in this area, and they are now making this track wider into a road. We lodged the protest as soon as we had definite information that this road was being built and the Chinese were there.

But it is difficult for me to say what action we are taking in this connection because that gives out what exact Information we have and what exact attempts we are making. So, on a number of occasions, we may have this information quite early, but it is difficult always to divulge it because many sources are involved and we have to take certain measures and It became difficult to publicize it.