Daily Times

Sometimes, one look can be worth a thousand words. A new national map published by the Chinese government has sparked an outcry in India largely due to the inclusion of controversial areas like the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, Doklam Plateau and Aksai Chin. While some remain under Chinese control but are part of simmering feuds in recent years, others have previously prompted the two armies to lock horns. Amid the Indian Foreign Minister’s clearly-worded denunciation of the new map as “absurd claims” and the Chinese foreign ministry calling on the world for an “objective and rational” discourse, New Delhi’s next move on the chessboard remains to be seen.

A familiar wave of uproar sweeping across its media outlets suggests the government strengthen military positions along the border and work on intelligence collaborations with the likes of the US. But before hawkish frenzy takes centre stage, India would do well to remember its share of tricks out of the same playbook.

For years, Pakistan has been struggling to convince the world about the absurdity of its territories underscored by Indian propaganda as part of its political map. Although it may appear silly to those sitting outside the stadium, a maliciously drawn line on a simple map carries crucial significance in a region wrangling with complicated geography made all the more sensitive by lapsed empires.

Two years earlier, a similar exercise unrolled by Islamabad was quickly dismissed, thanks to proactive lobbies sitting in global capitals. If India views the recent Chinese attempt to broadcast its view as borderline “provocative,” what would explain its obsession with laying claim to the whole territory of Kashmir as its own; stretching its borders well towards Afghanistan? While in the nuclear age, no one would wish for a collision between two armed-to-the-teeth neighbours but India might benefit from a much-quoted proverb, “Those who live in glass stone shouldn’t throw stones.” *