Why Nehru pushed Panchsheel pact with China? Defence chief explains

Even though there has been a thaw in India-China diplomatic ties, tensions along the border remain fraught. Against this backdrop, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan on Friday gave an interesting insight on why former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru pushed for the Panchsheel Agreement with China in 1954. Chauhan said Nehru assumed that the pact effectively settled the northern border row, but China had different views.

Speaking at an event in Dehradun, the defence chief said after the British left India, the Nehru government had the arduous and challenging task of defining its frontiers. "Nehru was aware of the McMahon Line in the eastern sector and of India's claims in Ladakh, but there was still uncertainty. So that's why he wanted to go for the Panchsheel Agreement," General Chauhan said.

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