India says Ladakh integral part, counters China over 28 named sites
Collected Photo
New Delhi said Ladakh remains an “integral and inalienable part of India” on Tuesday, countering China’s objections after the Central government identified and standardized official names for 28 locations in the Union Territory of Ladakh for mapping.
On 2 October, India officially marked 28 strategic sites and geographical points on its official map, which include critical border flashpoints along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) such as Gogra and Hot Spring.
Indian government executed this measure in consultation with the Ladakh administration to streamline official cartography, improve precise identification, and build public awareness regarding the sensitive border region.
Ministry of External Affairs declared in a statement, “Identifying these places formally on the Survey of India map of UT of Ladakh is aimed at facilitating their accurate recognition and better awareness among the public at large.”
Critical for Indian patrolling along the LAC, key sites like Gogra and Hot Spring served as primary friction areas during the 2020 military standoff between Indian and Chinese forces.
Reaffirming its stance, the ministry underscored, “It is reiterated that the UT of Ladakh is an integral and inalienable part of India. No amount of denial by the Chinese side can change this established fact.”
The newly designated locations also feature Alisha Giri, a high-altitude peak, alongside Brangsa, Chapchingal Pass, Kanishka Peak, Karun Pir mountain, Kuksel, Martand Giri, Parpik glacier, Skamri Glacier, Shachmirik Pass, Shkorga Valley, Zorawar Peak, Dehra Compass, and Drak Karpo.
Moreover, the official list encompasses Jolmori, Kumarayana Point, Panglung, Rinchen Zangpo, Sakyasri Giri, Guru Rinpoche, Shamal Lungpa—which functioned as a patrol and staging route in the 1950s - Yangpa River, Marpa Lotsava Ri, Milarepa Kangri, Shiva Ri, and Maheshwara Ri.
Responding to New Delhi’s actions to solidify its geographical records, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning asserted claims over the Indian territory and branded India’s decision as illegal, as reported by The Global Times on Tuesday.
As quoted by The Global Times, Mao said, “China has never recognised the so-called ‘Union Territory of Ladakh’ unilaterally and illegally established by India and firmly opposes India’s announcement of so-called standard names. The move is illegal and invalid and cannot change the fact that the relevant areas in the western sector of the China-India boundary have always belonged to China.”
By standardizing these names and integrating all 28 key locations onto the Survey of India’s official map, India has strengthened administrative clarity and territorial transparency, thereby blunting China’s territorial claims.
Previously in June 2020, Indian and Chinese troops engaged in hand-to-hand combat within Eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley, marking their first lethal military confrontation since 1975. The fighting in Galwan resulted in the deaths of at least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese troops.
Following a two-year standoff and more than a dozen rounds of military talks, both nations initiated a troop pullback from around the clash site. Meanwhile, both New Delhi and Beijing regularly accuse each other of trying to seize territory along key flashpoints of their 3,500-kilometer divide, known as the LAC.
Source: NDTV (adapted)
