Diplomatic failure led to Sino-Indian war: Book

The failure of Indian diplomacy had led to the 1962 Sino-Indian war, says a new book on the vexed relations between the two neighbours.

Dr K N Raghavan, Commissioner of Customs, Kochi unit, notes in his book ‘Dividing Lines: Contours of India-China Conflict’ that mistrust between the two giants was caused by diplomatic failure on the part of India. The book, which revisits the root cause of conflict between the two countries, was released here on Wednesday by Social Welfare Minister Dr M K Muneer.

“The Sino-Indian boundary was never delineated. India committed mistakes while fixing borders unilaterally in 1954. It was not just a dispute over boundaries. It was the failure on the part of Indian diplomacy and consequent distrust that led to the war between two countries,” Dr Raghvan said while addressing the gathering.

“The book also looks in detail the failure of diplomacy, actions of the Army and paramilitary forces, which the Chinese interpreted to be ‘hostile,’ and attempts to cut the Chinese off Tibet. With distrust growing on either side, India opted for an aggressive stand and turned down the Chinese proposal to resume talks on Panchasheel,” Raghavan said.

He further observed that the war could have been averted if the two countries showed patience to initiate talks and explored ways to revive the Panchasheel pact.

Addressing the gathering, noted writer A Sethumadhavan said the content of Dr Raghavan’s book should be discussed at the national or even the international levels. The author has relied upon articles, letters and speeches in Parliament to arrive at the conclusion. 

Ernakulam Range IG K Padmakumar, Cricketer S Sreesanth, Customs and Central Excise Chief Commissioner Ashok Kaushal were present at the function.A medical graduate-turned-civil servant, Dr Raghavan is also an accredited cricket umpire who has stood in One-Day Internationals and various first class matches.