Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval said here on Friday that though relations between the two countries were looking up, the border-guarding agencies had to remain at a very high alert.

Mr. Doval said once the boundary issue was settled, India might have to adopt a “different” approach towards the China border. Observing that the neighbouring country had emerged as the world’s economic power, the NSA said its relations with Pakistan also needed to be taken into account.

Delivering the Rustamji Memorial Lecture on “Challenges of securing India’s borders: strategising the response”, Mr. Doval said the ongoing talks with China on bilateral ties invariably centred on the critical issue of border dispute settlement.

“We are particularly concerned about the eastern sector, where the claims have been made on Tawang [located in Arunachal Pradesh], which is totally in contravention of accepted principles … the fact is that there is settled population in these areas, particularly in Tawang, which have also been participating in the national mainstream all through,” said the NSA, expressing concern that China had recognised the McMahon Line only till erstwhile Burma. “So these are the ticklish issues, but they have to be deliberated and worked out,” he said adding that there was a need for a larger plan for “tackling” China.

Mr. Doval said that after the NDA government took over last May, one of the central points of its foreign policy was how to engage the neighbourhood. Mr. Modi took the initiative of inviting the heads of the neighbouring countries and they also came for his swearing-in.

While India showed its inclination towards improving relations with the neighbours, the country sent across a message that it was “capable of building its capabilities despite reservations of some of the countries in the border areas. It was felt that deterrence was necessary for avoiding conflict. Conflict is best avoided if you have got the deterrence.”
Long-term response strategy

The NSA said that apart from physical security, which was a very important component of border management, border guarding agencies should factor in associated variables such as bilateral equations, changing multilateral systems and situations in bordering States, to develop a long-term response strategy.

Recounting the contributions of K.F. Rustamji, who raised the Border Security Force, Mr. Doval said his valuable inputs on managing border affairs strengthened the country’s response towards Pakistan and the erstwhile East Pakistan.

“From that, the role [of BSF] has shifted to that of physical security. It is an occasion for us to start thinking on the lines of how to strategise the response to border management challenges,” he said.
R&D units

Mr. Doval suggested that the agencies could have their own research and development units for conducting studies based on observations regarding activities on both sides of the border at the political, diplomatic and economic levels. While crime trends also needed to be studied, border-guarding agencies should engage with the population in the border areas and instil nationalistic fervour in them.

On technological upgrade, the NSA said that in the near future the agencies could have dedicated satellites for access to images of their interest for keeping a closer watch on the activities along the border. However, it would require raising teams well equipped to study the images.