In the conflicts that occurred on Tuesday, the Indian armed force said 20 of its soldiers had been killed and 17 were harmed. An Indian government source told that they were attacked with iron rods, their commanding officer was grievously injured and fell, and when all of this happened, more soldiers swarmed to the area and attacked with stones. While Chinese authorities didn’t uncover any losses, the main manager of state-owned newspaper Global Times tweeted that Chinese soldiers had likewise been killed in the conflict.
In 1996, China and India signed an LAC peace treaty, both sides agreed not to use military capabilities against the other along their disputed border. LAC is a land that is poorly demarcated with the presence of rivers, lakes and snow-capped mountain peaks. The two sides have claimed it as a part of their land. In accordance with this agreement, the troops from two of the world’s largest armies have resorted to makeshift weapons, including fists, rocks and iron rods, wooden clubs some were covered with nails and some wrapped in barbed wire.
The use of non-military weapons reflects the intention on both sides to avoid the development of the situation into a military conflict.
Maryam Khan, Islamabad
