NEW DELHI: Amid the Sino-Indian military standoff near the Bhutan-China-India tri-junction, Pakistan high commissioner
Abdul Basit met the Chinese ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui. In what further raised eyebrows among Indian authorities, after his meeting with Luo, Basit was also learnt to have a sought a meeting with Bhutan's ambassador to India Vetsop Namgyel.
Top diplomatic sources confirmed to TOI that Basit called on the Chinese ambassador on Wednesday. They also confirmed that he was likely to soon meet the Bhutanese ambassador.
TOI has learnt that the situation at
Doklam, where Indian troops have physically prevented the Chinese from constructing a road, was discussed in the meeting.
Basit is learnt to have wanted to discuss the situation with the envoys of both the countries. Basit has completed his tenure as high commissioner here and is expected to return to Islamabad next month.
Beijing is currently actively engaging the international community to drive home its point that it is India which is the aggressor at the Doklam plateau which is disputed between Bhutan and China. Unlike any other border transgression in recent times, the Doklam stand-off has even seen the Chinese embassy under Luo actively engage the Indian public to expound Beijing's position.
Political counsellor Li Ya recently released a video to address the concern of "some Indian friends".
More than a month into the "eyeball to eyeball" standoff though, it is still not clear how it'll all end as China publicly insists on an immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Indian troops. India has so far not engaged with foreign missions the way Beijing has. Or even if it has, it is not saying so. Until Wednesday, even the Russians had not been briefed about the situation.
Indian officials have warned against warmongering in the media but the fact is that it is the Chinese state backed media which has taken an unusually strident position on Doklam. They have also sought to exploit India's vulnerability in Kashmir by talking up the threat to India from Pakistan.
A noted
Global Times columnist wrote recently that the India's logic in stalling Chinese road construction at Doklam could also be used by a "third country" to enter "India-controlled Kashmir" if it received a request from the Pakistan army. Basit's meeting with Luo may further fan that sentiment.
Despite the remark by Indian Army chief Bipin Rawat that India is ready for a "two-and-half front" wars, the government will be mindful of the threat from Pakistan in case there indeed is a flare up at Doklam.
