Indian Army stops provocative military movements by the PLA on the southern bank of Pangong Tso China provokes again, tries to alter status quo
Indian Army said that PLA violated the consensus to reduce tension by trying to change status quo on the Pangong Lake
NEW DELHI/BEIJING: India said on Monday that it had pre-empted “provocative military movements” by China to change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on the southern bank of Pangong Lake, a development that widened the trust deficit between the two sides and dealt a blow to efforts to reduce tensions.
The incident followed the lack of forward movement in the disengagement and de-escalation process even after several rounds of diplomatic and military talks. India has insisted that China should deliver on agreed actions for redeploying troops towards their regular posts along the LAC. China has been obdurate about this.
People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops violated the consensus reached during military and diplomatic engagements and “carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo” on the night of August 29-30, Indian Army spokesperson Col Aman Anand said in a statement. “Indian troops pre-empted this PLA activity on the southern bank of Pangong Lake, undertook meas
ures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on ground,” he said, without elaborating on the nature of the Chinese provocation and how Indian soldiers blocked PLA’s actions.
More than 200 Chinese soldiers were involved in the attempt to occupy Indian territory on the lake’s southern bank but sufficient number of Indian troops — armed with accurate intelligence about PLA movements in the sector — were able to thwart the threat, officials familiar with the developments said on condition of anonymity.
The confrontation didn’t escalate into a physical clash, they said. Until now, tensions in this sector were confined to the Finger Area on Pangong Lake’s northern bank.
The movement of Chinese troops from their base towards Indian territory on the lake’s southern bank was detected at around midnight on August 29, said one of the officials cited above.
Indian troops at forward positions on the LAC have been in the highest state of alert since tensions erupted in early May to deal with any adventurism by PLA. “Inputs provided by intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms made it clear the Chinese troops were on their way to occupy strategic heights on our side of the LAC. We had no doubts about their intention and were fully prepared,” said a second official.
As soon as the Chinese movement was detected, Indian commanders ordered their troops to deploy to the heights from where the Chinese soldiers were planning to make ingress into Indian territory.
NEW DELHI: China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has opened a new front along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with its “provocative military movements” on the southern bank of Pangong Lake to alter the status quo in the area, people familiar with developments said on Monday.
So far, Chinese aggression in this sector in eastern Ladakh was confined to the lake’s northern bank – the Finger Area that has emerged as the toughest part of the disengagement process.
“The PLA’s intentions stand exposed. Instead of carrying out disengagement and restoring status quo ante in the existing friction areas, China is bent on changing the status quo in new areas,” one of the officials cited above said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
In a statement on the latest Chinese provocation, the Indian Army said PLA has vioother lated the consensus reached during military and diplomatic talks to reduce tension in eastern Ladakh, where the two sides have been locked in a tense confrontation since early May.
Experts concurred that PLA was attempting to change the status quo in new areas and stressed that India has to stay prepared to thwart such moves.
“While there are areas on the northern bank where the
Indian Army only carries out patrolling, the southern bank is strongly held by us. The PLA is fully conscious of it. Any transgression by the PLA in this area is a clear indication that China is trying to change the status quo and open a new front,” said former Northern Army commander Lt Gen (retired) DS Hooda.
The lake’s northern bank has been at the centre of the current border tensions, as PLA has refused to withdraw from the Finger Area, a set of eight cliffs jutting out of Sirijap range overlooking the lake.
Before PLA grabbed positions on Finger 4, overlooking Indian deployments, the Indian Army would patrol up to Finger 8, which New Delhi considers an integral part of its territory.
The new positions held by PLA have curtailed the scope of Indian patrols.
PLA is likely to intrude into areas to exert pressure on the Indian Army and build its bargaining power, and the Depsang sector is one such vulnerable area, said Lt Gen (retired) BS Jaswal, also a former Northern Army commander.
PLA’s forward deployments in Depsang have hindered the access of Indian soldiers to several patrolling routes, including the ones leading to Patrolling Points (PPs) 10, 11, 11A 12 and 13. The military buildup in this sector includes the deployment of tanks and artillery by the two sides.
The Indian Army has to keep a strict vigil all along the disputed border with China – from Ladakh and Uttarakhand to Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, said Lt Gen (retired) Rakesh Sharma, a former commander of Leh-based 14 Corps headquarters.
“China is flexing its military muscles to show it can do whatever it wants and not expecting any reaction. But our troops were fully prepared on Pangong Lake’s southern bank and reacted promptly,” Sharma said.