NCERT clarifies over 'Aksai Chin-China' row

Clarifying its stand over the row surrounding Aksai Chin being shown as part of China in its textbooks, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) said that the map on which the error was observed was not of India, but of South East Asia.

Th Class 12th Political Science textbook, ' Contemporary World Politics', was published in February 2007.

The textbook covers major political events and processes in world politics since the beginning of the Cold War era.

"Chapter four, " Alternative Centres of Power", focuses on the European Union, ASEAN and China. The map which figures on page 56 is not a map of India, but a map of East and South East Asia. It was prepared by the University of Texas. The source of the map was mentioned at the bottom. The map states that Boundary representation is not necessarily authoritative," the NCERT statement read.

It further stated that Aksai Chin has been under the unlawful occupation of China.

In the map, the border between India and China, near Aksai Chin is marked in dotted lines to indicate the dispute. Indian claim over Aksai Chin is clearly mentioned.

Later in this chapter, the topic under the heading 'India - China Relations' (on page 61) refers to competing territorial claims in Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin.

Aksai Chin is shown as an integral part of India in the map of India and its neighbours on page 149 of the textbook.

However, NCERT has come under major fire for showing Aksai Chin coloured in the same yellow as China.

It's been used to explain the South East Asian region as an alternative power centre.

The Indian claim to Aksai Chin was based on an internal British Indian survey, the Johnson Line.

After the Sino-India war of 1962 resulted in a humiliating defeat for India, the Chinese declared a unilateral ceasefire, withdrawing from Arunachal Pradesh - but not Aksai Chin.

Aksai Chin has since become the dragon's bargaining chip, keeping India militarily insecure and engaged.

India has continued to call Chinese administration of the region "illegal occupation," and the Indian version of the map marks it under the Ladakh district of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

-ANI