Indian intelligence confirms Chinese presence in PoK: Report

New Delhi, May 12: India's worst fears are coming true. After months of speculation that the Dragon may be boosting its presence in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK), Indian intelligence agencies have confirmed that the many hundreds of Chinese working in Pok are actually People's Liberation Army engineers, claims a report.

A Times of India report states that the confirmation by Indian intelligence agencies came against the stout denial by China that its military was not present on the Pakistani side of the border.

The report also states that Chinese are involved in hydel projects, realignment of Karakoram Highway etc in PoK.

An anonymous official is quoted in the report as saying, "They couldn't be there just for civilian work."

It can be recalled that a recent report by the Institute of Defence Studies and Analysyis had warned India of the increasing Chinese presence in the PoK region. The report said, “These realities are certain to impinge on India's long-term security interests and therefore it is incumbent upon Indian policy makers to adopt a pro-active approach towards PoK (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir) which is an integral part of India."

The report also stated, "That this has multiple strategic implications for regional security especially that of India has been underscored."

Making an observation on what could be the consequences of the increasing Chinese presence on the PoK, the report stated, "if the current pace of Chinese penetration is sustained, then China may completely take over Gilgit Baltistan by the year 2020."

It added, “This is not an alarmist proposition and such prospects have been hinted at in a New York Times article (that) states that at least 7,000-11,000 Chinese troops have been stationed in the Gilgit Baltistan region."

OneIndia News