GT News Service
Jammu, April 8
In a veiled attack on the BJP-led Central government, the climate activist-cum education reformist Sonam Wangchuk, who on Saturday withdrew his ‘Pashmina Border March’ towards Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, today said the Army soldiers were helpless to take action against Chinese intrusions due to the prevailing narrative “denying any encroachment on Ladakh’s land”.
“Despite the fact that our soldiers are capable of giving a befitting reply to Chinese intrusions, their hands are tied. They are unable to do anything because our government and politicians have been claiming that no one has come and not even an inch of land has been encroached on in Ladakh. Such statements tied the hands of our soldiers and they remained in confusion as to how to act in this situation. Consequently, we lost a huge chunk of our land (to China),” Wangchuk said in a video uploaded on ‘X’.
THANK YOU FRIENDS OF LADAKH…
For standing up for truth, democracy & environment in so many cities today #RavivaarRashtraKeNaam #SundaysForTheNation.
We chose not to March to the borders but our goal is more than met, by the govt’s overreaction & desperation to cover up facts.… pic.twitter.com/Pz4wLiuLqp— Sonam Wangchuk (@Wangchuk66) April 7, 2024
“THANK YOU FRIENDS OF LADAKH… For standing up for truth, democracy & environment in so many cities today #RavivaarRashtraKeNaam #SundaysForTheNation. We chose not to March to the borders but our goal is more than met, by the govt’s overreaction & desperation to cover up facts. Indian Army is more than capable of dealing with intruders at the LAC if politicians just let them do their job.#SaveLadakh #SaveHimalayas #SaveGlaciers #6thSchedule #SupportSonamWangchuk
“Indian Army is more than capable of dealing with intruders at the LAC if politicians just let them do their job,” he said.
He further said the grazers have lost their livelihood due to the loss of land in border areas. “This was the only reason that we wanted to show the encroachment that took place along the borders to the people of this country through our march. “Though we could not take out march, we have achieved more than what we had desired because the information (about Chinese intrusions) has been disseminated among the people of this country,” he said.
“We hope that not even an inch of our land should be lost to anyone in the future. Our country remains intact and its boundaries remain strong,” he said, adding “For this we have to raise our voice. We need to follow the truth whether it is the matter of boundaries or the promises made with Ladakh people,” he said.
Also Read:https://gaontribune.com/section-144-imposed-in-leh-ahead-of-wangchuks-pashmina-march.
He said they chose not to March to the borders but their “goal was more than met, by the government’s overreaction and desperation to cover up facts”.
Supported by various political, social and religious groups seeking Statehood to Ladakh and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of Constitution post-UT status to the region in August 2019, Wangchuk also expressed his gratitude to the people of this country for extending support to the people of Ladakh.
On Saturday, Wangchuk along with Leh Apex Body (LAB) announced to withdraw the call for “Pashmina March” from Leh to the LAC scheduled for today.
He cited the “risk of potential violence” as the reason for the decision, as the Union Territory administration has imposed Section 144 of the CrPC in the area.
Wangchuk, who recently sat on a 21-day fast seeking safeguards for Ladakh’s fragile ecology and local culture, had called for a people’s march to the China border on April 7 “to see how much land locals have lost to them”. The march was to be led by local tribal leaders.
“We have been holding peaceful demonstrations in the form of fasting and prayers over the last 35 days. We had also planned a peaceful march on April 7. The purpose of the Pashmina March was to highlight the plight of the Changpa nomadic tribes who are losing thousands of square kilometres of their land due to Chinese incursion in the north and our own corporates in the south,” he had said.
