Pak has become pawn in Chinese policy: Air Chief

New Delhi, December 29

Pakistan has increasingly become a pawn of China and the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan has opened options for Beijing to expand its influence in the region through Islamabad, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria said on Tuesday.

In an address at a seminar organised by think-tank Vivekananda International Foundation, he said, “Pakistan's dependence on China is going to increase as the country is set to reel under a Chinese debt-trap.”

Bhadauria said any serious conflict with India did not suit China’s global aspirations and “grand plans”, and the trigger for the Ladakh face-off could be the result of a variety of reasons, including a “military dominated misadventure”, that escalated following the rapid trust deficit faced by the neighbouring country due to the pandemic.

The IAF Chief said China resorted to heavy deployment of radars, surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles as well as other air assets to support its army in view of the border standoff in Eastern Ladakh, but at the same time asserted that India took every action required to deal with the situation.

China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been focusing on developing capabilities to counter the global dominance of the US and it could lead to security implications for India. The online seminar was organised by leading think-tank Vivekananda International Foundation. — PTI