Chinese hear whispers

With China stepping up protests against troop movements in Sikkim, the Army is in a quandary. While the 27 Mountain Brigade now in Sikkim is on an 8220;operational alert8221; and is checking its defences and operational positions after being re-posted in the state seven years later, an informal 8216;gag order8217; has been imposed on the army by the Ministry of External Affairs. Apparently, reports in the media a few months ago about the shift to the state raised eyebrows in Beijing. Interestingly, China was alerted about the troop movements well before they actually happened. An informed source commented that even Pakistan does not protest about 8220;operational alerts8221; and similar troop movements along the LoC anymore.