Indian military experts dismissed as beyond ridiculous and a figment of the imagination a claim made on Chinese state television last Jan. 18 that mechanized troops of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF) can fight their way to the Indian capital of New Delhi in a mere two days in the event of a war with India.

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The same broadcast also claimed Chinese paratroops can drop on New Delhi, which is 200 miles from the Line of Actual Control (LAC), in just 10 hours after the war breaks out. The Line of Actual Control is a demarcation line that separates Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory.

The Indian states the LAC borders are Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, which are all mountainous and mostly high-altitude locations very difficult for PLAGF troops to traverse quickly, especially in the face of determined Indian Army resistance.

In addition, the Indian Army in 2016 began heavily reinforcing its units along the LAC with more infantry; T-72 main battle tanks; advanced airfields for fighter jets and positions for the fearsome BrahMos supersonic cruise missile.

How PLAGF can fight through all of this in just 48 hours is a military impossibility unless China rains down nuclear missiles on the Indian defenders, an action that will invite massive nuclear retaliation from India.

"This claim is beyond ridiculous. It's saying their motorized troops will reach Delhi in 48 hours. How will they cross the Himalayas?" asked retired Indian Army Brigadier General Gurmeet Kanwal.

For Chinese motorized and armored units to infiltrate the mountainous terrain of the northeastern border of India and quickly advance further is not possible, said retired Indian Army Colonel Rohit Agarwal.

He said if you're talking about motorized troops, "you need to first look at the terrain. Where will those troops come from? All of our northeastern border is mountainous, so, even if they plan on using that route for their troops, how far can they advance?"

 And as for the Chinese paratroops, why on earth will they invade New Delhi when the only thing awaiting them is their certain destruction? The lightly armed paratroops will be cut-off from the rest of the invading Chinese forces and can hardly be expected to defeat Indian Army units backed by tanks and heavy firepower.

"You can drop paratroopers in Delhi as and when you like, but what will they do once they reach the ground? So, I think it's just rhetoric," said Agarwal.

A former Army commander who refused to be identified said the claim "is nothing but a figment of imagination of the television channel and a matter of who they're quoting and how. It's just imaginations running wild and typical punch line reporting by the state channel."

Tagschina, New Delhi, war with India, Line of Actual Control, LAC, Indian Army, People's Liberation Army Ground Force