India will not get pushed under any pressure, says CDS Rawat
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh suggests IAF to draw long term plans
NEW DELHI: India stood firm in preventing a change of status quo on the northern borders and the country proved it will not get pushed under any pressure, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat said on Thursday, referring to the border standoff with China in eastern Ladakh.
In his address at the Raisina Dialogue here, Gen Rawat said China felt that it will be able to compel nations to give in to its demands by doing a little bit of "shove and push" as it has superior armed forces because of technological advantage.
"But, I think India stood firm on the northern borders and we have proven that we will not get pushed," he said at the virtual conference.
The Chief of Defence Staff(CDS) said India was able to get support of the international community by standing firm in preventing the attempt of changing the status quo in the region. "They tried to ensure that they can change the status quo by the use of disruptive technologies without using force...They thought that India, as a nation, will succumb to the pressures that they have been putting on us because of the technological advantage that they have," he said, adding that did not happen. Gen Rawat said the international community came to India's support to say that "yes there is an international base-rule order which every nation must follow. That is what we have been able to achieve."
India and China are locked in a military standoff in multiple friction points in eastern Ladakh since early May last year that has significantly strained bilateral ties.
As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, India and China completed withdrawal of troops and weapons from the North and South banks of Pangong lake in February.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday complimented the Indian Air
Force for ensuring a “timely and befitting” response to the “sudden” developments in eastern Ladakh, in a reference to the Sino-India border row in the mountainous region.
During an interaction with top commanders of the IAF, the defence minister also advised them to draw up long term plans and strategies to boost combat capabilities of the force to counter future threats, officials said.
Noting that changing dimensions of war would now include advanced technologies, asymmetric capabilities and information-dominance, the minister, who inaugurated the bi-annual commanders' conference, said it was very important that the IAF's preparations for the future must include these aspects.
“The defence minister congratulated IAF for ensuring a timely and befitting response to the sudden developments in eastern Ladakh,” the IAF said in a statement without elaborating.
As the situation deteriorated in eastern Ladakh following a fierce clash between Indian and Chinese troops in Galwan valley in June last year, the Indian Air Force deployed almost all its frontline fighter jets like Sukhoi 30 MKI, Jaguar and Mirage 2000 aircraft in the key frontier air bases in the region.
In his address, Singh also assured the IAF of “wholehearted support” from the defence ministry in achieving its goal of becoming a potent strategic aerospace force, officials said.