Sir: To flex its high-altitude warfare muscle, Indian Air Force conducted exercise Bahubali. In just six hours, the IAF’s eight US C-17 Globe Masters, four Russian made IL-and another four Russian AN-32 transported nearly 540 tonnes of tanks and armour to Leh (Ladakh). Till recently, the IAF could transport only 3,000 tonnes a month. India is building several air strips and air bases at Ladakh. India’s Western Air Command boasted “The fighters you see flying here can be refuelled and deployed in Siachen Glacier or along the northern borders’. In 1962 India and China clashed across the 3,488 kilometer Himalayan boundary. The exercise is intended to boost sagging morale of one lac Tibetan Budhists living in India. Frustrated Dalai Lama has hinted that he may abdicate in favour of some new avatar (incarnate), which could even be a woman. MOHAMMAD SA’AD MALIK Rawalpindi Published in Daily Times, January 3rd 2019