‘Troops maintaining posture along border with China’
Both sides ‘disengaged’ after dialogue and interaction at the local level: Army Chief India committed to peace along China border: MEA
NEW DELHI: Indian troops were maintaining their “posture” along the border with China while infrastructure development in the frontier areas was on track, Army Chief General M M Naravane said on Thursday, days after personnel of the two countries were
locked in two separate incidents of violent face-offs.
Gen Naravane said the incidents in Eastern Ladakh and North Sikkim involved aggressive behaviour by Chinese and Indian troops resulting in minor injuries to personnel from both the sides.
The Army Chief said both sides “disengaged” after dialogue and interaction at the
local level. “It is reiterated that both these incidents are neither co-related nor do they have any connection with other global or
local activities,” he told journalists when asked about the face-offs.
“All such incidents are managed by established mechanisms where-in local formations from both sides resolve issues mutually as per established protocols and strategic guidelines given by the prime minister after the Wuhan and Mamallapuram summits,” Gen Naravane said.
He said Indian Border troops have always been upholding peace and tranquillity along the border areas.
“I can say with confidence that development of infrastructure capabilities along our northern borders is on track. Our force posture will not suffer due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
It is learnt that the situation in the Eastern Ladakh region remained tense with troops of the two countries maintaining a close watch on each other demonstrating aggressive posturing, even nine days after the violent clash involving 250 soldiers from both sides.
The confrontation began on the evening of May 5 and both sides decided to “disengage” the next day. In a separate incident, nearly 150 Indian and Chinese military personnel were engaged in a face-off near Naku La Pass in the Sikkim sector of the Sino-india border on Saturday. At least 10 soldiers from both sides sustained injuries in the incident.
NEW DELHI: Days after Indian and Chinese troops were engaged in two fierce face-offs, India on Thursday said it remained committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity along the border with China noting that such incidents could have been avoided if there was a common perception about the frontier.
On May 5, around 250 Indian and Chinese army personnel clashed with iron rods, sticks, and even resorted to stone-pelting in Pangong Tso lake area in Eastern Ladakh. Four days later, there was a similar face-off near Naku La Pass in North Sikkim.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said India and China attach utmost importance to ensuring peace and tranquillity in all areas of Sino-india border regions and referred to affirmation about it by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in their two informal summits.
"Occasionally, however, on account of difference in perception of the alignment of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), situations have arisen on the ground that could have been avoided if we had a common perception of the Line of Control (LAC)," he said. The LAC is the de-facto border between the two nations. He further said, "The Indian side remains committed to the objective of maintaining peace and tranquillity in the India-china border areas." When asked about the latest incidents, Army Chief Gen M M Naravane said the Indian troops were maintaining their "posture" along the border with China.