The Governor of Arunachal Pradesh – Brig. (Dr.) B.D. Mishra (Retd.) released a book, “The McMahon Line : A Century Of Discord”, authored by the former Arunachal Governor and former Chief of Army Staff General J.J. Singh (Retd) at the Raj Bhavan, here, on Tuesday.
The launching ceremony was also attended by the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh – Pema Khandu, Deputy CM – Chowna Mein; among others.
Taking to Twitter, the Arunachal Pradesh CM wrote “Pleased to be present at the launch of book ‘The McMahon line: A century of discord’, authored by former Governor of Arunachal Pradesh and former Chief of Army Staff General JJ Singh (Retd), by Arunachal Pradesh Governor Shri @BrigMishra Ji today.”
“The former Army Chief has come out with a well-researched book based on his experience and practical knowledge on India-China border dispute, which would be of great benefit to those trying to study & understand the subject. My best wishes to General JJ Singh (Retd).” – he further added.
The former Army Chief has come out with a well-researched book based on his experience and practical knowledge on India-China border dispute, which would be of great benefit to those trying to study & understand the subject.
My best wishes to General JJ Singh (Retd). pic.twitter.com/aXaanbJWx1
— Pema Khandu པདྨ་མཁའ་འགྲོ་། (@PemaKhanduBJP) October 11, 2022
This book is based on Gen Singh’s long years of experience to bear on Sino-Indian relations in The McMahon Line.
He examines the evolution of the boundary and the nuances of British India s Tibet policy from the eighteenth century through to India s Independence, analyses the repercussions for contemporary times and puts forth recommendations for the way ahead.
The former Arunachal Governor goes straight into the Younghusband expedition, after explaining the geography of Tibet, in his meticulously-researched book ‘The McMahon Line: A Century of Discord’.
In these 441 pages – a substantial chunk, devoted to notes and appendices containing authentic documents, Singh offers one of the most thorough histories of one of the most intricate border disputes in the contemporary world.
According to Singh, although China did not sign the Simla convention, it had not opposed the McMahon Line initially. Following the Simla conference, Tibet too experienced decades of independent rule. However, he claimed that the Chinese, kept on altering their goalposts.
The manner Jawaharlal Nehru handled China’s reoccupation (or, in China’s eyes, liberation) of Tibet in 1950 draws harsh criticism from Singh.
He calls Nehru an idealist who was unable to anticipate China’s tactics. The British idea of using an independent Tibet as a buffer for more than 50 years was abandoned when India stood by and did nothing.
“The Chinese takeover of Tibet by force… exposed the northern borders of India to potential Chinese threat for the first time, highlighting our vulnerability,” – he added.
