News Analysis India

Tag: LAC

  • Rahul Gandhi demands sacking of Union Minister VK Singh over purported remarks on LAC

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday demanded that Union Minister VK Singh be sacked for his purported remarks on transgressions at the Line of Actual Control, and said not removing him would amount to insult of Indian soldiers.

    “Why is a BJP minister helping China make a case against India? He should’ve been sacked. Not sacking him means insulting every Indian Jawan,” he said on Twitter.

    Gandhi tagged a news report in which Union minister Singh is reported to have said that India has transgressed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) more often than the Chinese side based on perceptions.

  • Chinese actions seriously disturbed peace, tranquillity along LAC: Government

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Chinese military’s attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh have seriously disturbed peace and tranquillity in the region, the government said in Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

    Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said the attempts have been responded to “appropriately” by the Indian armed forces and it has been made clear to the Chinese side that such unilateral attempts are “unacceptable”.

    In a written response to a question on the overall boundary issue with China, the minister said the two sides have agreed to seek a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution through dialogue and negotiations.

    He said the two sides also agreed that pending final settlement of the boundary question, maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas is an essential basis for the overall development of the bilateral relationship.

    “However, since April/May 2020 the Chinese side undertook several attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo along the LAC in western sector.

    These attempts have been responded to appropriately by our armed forces,” Muraleedharan said.

    “It has also been made clear to the Chinese side that such unilateral attempts are unacceptable. These actions have seriously disturbed the peace and tranquillity along the LAC in the western sector,” he said.

    The government often refers to eastern Ladakh as western sector.

    The minister also said that India’s engagement with China is “complex”.

    “In the last few years, the two sides have agreed to manage their differences and not allow differences on any issue to become disputes, ” he said.

    In addition, he said, the two sides also agree that the future direction of ties should be built upon mutual respect for each other’s developmental aspirations bearing in mind the importance of respecting each other’s sensitivities, concerns and aspirations.

    On the eastern Ladakh standoff, he said:”Over the last several months, we have been engaged with the Chinese side through diplomatic and military channels to ensure complete disengagement from all friction points and full restoration of peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas.

    Muraleedharan also referred to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on September 10 in Moscow and said they agreed that the current situation in the border areas is not in the interest of either side.

    “They agreed therefore that the border troops of both sides should continue their dialogue, quickly disengage, maintain proper distance and ease tensions,” he said.

    He said both sides held six meetings of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China border affairs (WMCC) and nine meetings of senior commanders.

  • India-China border standoff: Corps commanders to meet for ninth round of talks on January 24

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  The corps commanders of the Indian Army and the Chinese PLA are slated to meet on Sunday for the ninth round of talks to find ways to resolve the protracted tension along the line of actual control in eastern Ladakh. Confirming the development, a senior Army officer said, “The talks will be held in Moldo opposite the Chushul sector in India.”

    The last corps commander-level talks between the two countries were held on November 6 in Chushul. The Indian side will be led for the first time by 14 Corps commander Lt Gen P G K Menon.  While the meeting will mean a breaking of ice after a freeze of nearly three months, defence analysts and former officers do not expect much because of the environment of mistrust between the armies of the two countries. Lt Gen Rajan Bakshi (retd), who commanded 14 Corps, said a breakthrough can only be achieved at the diplomatic level and military talks are unlikely to yield any result. 

    Recalling a three-week faceoff in south Depsang in 2013, Lt Gen Bakshi said he led the talks from the Indian side at that time but it was the joint study group that ultimately resolved the standoff.  Maj Gen S B Asthana (Retd) said the talks were necessary to move towards a resolution but “we must not hope too much” because the trust deficit was high. 

    He said the northern neighbour was celebrating the Communist Party of China’s centenary and in this situation “if the PLA moves its troops back it will be a loss of face in front of the domestic audience.”  Maj Gen Asthana said even if the Chinese troops withdraw from the eyeball-to-eyeball situation, they can be back at will because of the kind of infrastructure they have created in those areas. “Unless we resolve the LAC issues we must not vacate the Kailash Range which China insists on,” he said. With the Indian soldiers occupying heights at the Kailash Range overlooking the Moldo garrison of the PLA, China wants this advantage of India to go away.

  • India, China maintaining close communication on next round of military talks: MEA

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: India and China have agreed to hold the next round of senior commander-level meetings soon and both sides are maintaining close communication over diplomatic and military channels on it, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday.

    Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a bitter border standoff in eastern Ladakh for over eight months as multiple rounds of diplomatic and military talks have not yet produced any major breakthrough.

    “Both sides have agreed to hold the next round of the senior commander level meeting soon and we are in close communication over diplomatic and military channels in this regard,” Spokesperson in the ministry Anurag Srivastava said.

    He was replying to a question on the next round of military talks at a media briefing.

    The eighth and last round of military talks between the two sides had taken place on November 6 during which both sides broadly discussed disengagement of troops from specific friction points.

    India has all along been maintaining that the onus is on China to carry forward the process of disengagement and de-escalation at the friction points in the mountainous region.

    In a clear message to China, Chief of Army Staff Gen M M Naravane last week said India is committed to resolving the eastern Ladakh standoff through talks but no one should make any mistake of testing its patience.

    Following the sixth round of military talks, the two sides had announced a slew of decisions including not to send more troops to the frontline, refrain from unilaterally changing the situation on the ground and avoid taking any actions that may further complicate matters.

    This round was held with a specific agenda of exploring ways to implement a five-point agreement reached between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi at a meeting in Moscow on September 10 last year on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO) conclave.

    The pact included measures like quick disengagement of troops, avoiding action that could escalate tensions, adherence to all agreements and protocols on border management and steps to restore peace along the LAC.

  • Chidambaram demands explanation from Modi government on BJP MP’s claim of ‘Chinese’ village in Arunachal

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram demanded answers from the government on Monday on BJP MP Tapir Gao’s claim that China has built a 100-house village in the “disputed area” deep into the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.

    He said if the allegation made out by the BJP MP is true, will the government again give a clean chit to China or blame previous governments for it.

    Arunachal Pradesh is an Indian state, but China considers it as its territory.

    There is a border dispute between the two neighbouring countries and there has been a troops build-up in eastern Ladakh after a bloody clash between the Indian Army and the People’s Liberation of Army (PLA) of China in June last year.

    India lost 20 soldiers in the Galwan valley clash.

    China also lost many soldiers but did not disclose the number of casualties.

    ALSO READ | Have taken necessary measures to safeguard sovereignty: India on reports of Chinese village in Arunachal

    Chidambaram, who was the home minister in the UPA government, also alleged that the Chinese have altered the status quo in Arunachal Pradesh.

    “Mr Tapir Gao MP, belonging to BJP, has alleged that deep into Arunachal Pradesh, in a ‘disputed area’ within Indian territory, the Chinese have built a 100-house village, a bazaar and a two-lane road in the last year.

    “If this is true, it is clear that the Chinese have altered the status quo by converting a disputed area into a permanent settlement of Chinese nationals. What has the government to say about these startling facts?” he asked.

    “Will the government give another clean chit to China? Or will the government give a convoluted explanation blaming previous governments?” the senior Congress leader asked in a series of tweets.

  • Have taken necessary measures to safeguard sovereignty: India on reports of Chinese village in Arunachal

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: In a cautious reaction to a report that China has built a village in Arunachal Pradesh, India on Monday said it keeps a constant watch on all developments having a bearing on the country’s security, and takes necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

    The Ministry of External Affairs said India has stepped up the construction of border infrastructure, including roads and bridges for the improvement of livelihood of its citizens.

    The response from the ministry came when asked about a report by NDTV channel, saying China has constructed a new village in the disputed region of Arunachal Pradesh and it consisted of about 101 homes.

    The news channel said the report is based on satellite images accessed exclusively by it.

    “We have seen recent reports on China undertaking construction work along the border areas with India. China has undertaken such infrastructure construction activity in the past several years,” the MEA said.

    “In response, our government too has stepped up border infrastructure including the construction of roads, bridges etc, which has provided much needed connectivity to the local population along the border,” it added.

    The ministry also asserted that the government remains committed to the objective of creating infrastructure along the border areas for the improvement of livelihood of its citizens, including in Arunachal Pradesh.

    “Government keeps a constant watch on all developments having a bearing on India’s security and takes all the necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it said.

    In its report, NDTV showed two images of the area where it said the village has been set up.

    According to the channel, the first image dated August 26, 2019 did not show any human habitation but the second one of November 2020 shows a row of structures.

    The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC).

    China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet, while India contests it.

    India and China are locked in a bitter border row in eastern Ladakh for over eight months.

    The army as well as the Indian Air Force have been maintaining a high state of operational readiness along the entire stretch of the LAC with China including in the Arunachal sector in view of the eastern Ladakh standoff.

    India and China have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks in order to resolve the eastern Ladakh row, but no significant headway has been made for its resolution.

    Earlier this month, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat visited various forward posts near the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh and reviewed India’s operational preparedness.

    He also visited several key installations including “forward most air maintained” posts in Dibang Valley, Lohit sector and Subansiri valley, according to the Army.

  • Relations with China disturbed by bloodshed last year, says S Jaishankar

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said the relationship between India and China has been profoundly disturbed by the bloody face-off along the LAC in June last year.

    “After 45 years, you’ve had bloodshed on the border. And that’s had a huge impact on public opinion and politically…really the impact on trust and confidence in India where China and their relationship is concerned.

    ALSO READ | China moves troops at rear, but no change in deployment along LAC

    That has been profoundly disturbed,” Jaishankar said referring to the violent skirmish at the Galwan Valley in which death 20 Indian soldiers had died.  The minister added that China was yet to offer an explanation for deploying a large number of troops along the LAC.

    “Now last year, for reasons which are not clear to us, the Chinese brought an enormous military force to one part of the border. And then at the LAC, obviously we moved up when we saw them coming,” Jaishankar said. On relations with the US, the minister said the ties were on an upward swing.   

  • India returned Chinese soldier crossing LAC to Indian border

    On Friday, January 8, Chinese troops crossed the Line of Control into Indian territory. The Indian Army personnel caught this Chinese soldier near the southern end of Pangong Tso Lake. The army had said that this soldier of the People’s Liberation Army of China had crossed the LAC and arrived in Ladakh, India and was deployed by the Indian soldiers stationed there. Taken into custody. The soldier said that he had lost the way. Please tell that the Chinese soldier has been returned by India on Monday. According to the information received, India has left its soldier on the matter of millions of requests. On behalf of the Indian Army, it was told that the Chinese soldier was handed over to China from Chushul-Moldo Point at 10.10 am on Monday.

  • Commanders’ meet unlikely soon as India, China refuse to budge

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  The next India-China Corps Commanders meeting is unlikely to take place soon as both sides are sticking to their positions regarding deployments and disengagement of troops along the various standoff points in eastern Ladakh.

    India and China have held eight rounds of the Corps Commander talks, with the last one taking place at Chushul on November 6. At the 20th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs on December 18, the two neighbours had agreed to hold another round of talks for taking forward the process of disengagement on the LAC.

    “(But) there is no common ground on the issues to hold the meeting. We are in favour of the option to resolve things through discussions, but the  Chinese side will have to maintain status quo as was in April (last year),” said a senior Army officer. 

    While China has been pressing for discussing troop withdrawal from the south bank of Pangong Tso first and other friction areas later, India is firm on discussing all the contentious areas of Ladakh simultaneously.  

    Temperature has plummeted to around minus 400 C in the remote region making movements restricted, but both sides are maintaining regular contact. “The movement from both sides has ceased,” the officer said. Troops of the two countries along with military support of armoured vehicles are deployed in eastern Ladakh since the Galwan clash.

  • Alertness levels very high, China can’t surprise us, says ITBP on LAC in Tawang sector

    Having already given a bloody nose to the People’s Liberation Army troops in Eastern Ladakh during face-offs in the ongoing conflict, the ITBP in the sensitive Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh says its men were on a high readiness mode on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the Chinese won’t be able to spring any surprises in this sector.

    In a visit to the forward posts on the LAC from where the Chinese territory could be seen in the Tawang sector, Team ANI witnessed the high preparedness levels of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) troops and the infrastructure developed for rapid forward deployments here in recent times.

    “When incidents (transgression by Chinese Army in Eastern Ladakh) like this happen, we have to remain on high alert mode so that such unforeseen incidents are not allowed to happen and there are no surprises. As you can see that though there are extreme cold conditions which make things difficult, our men are on a very high alert and keeping an eye on the border all the time,” ITBP’s 55 battalion commander Commandant I B Jha told ANI at a forward location here.

    The ITBP has played an important role in the ongoing conflict with Chinese troops with both LAC in eastern Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. In the initial violent confrontation, the ITBP was confronted several times with Chinese troops while attempting to transition to Pangong Lake, the Finger area, and the patrolling points at 14,15, 17 and 17A.

    Showing the patrolling carried out by ITBP soldiers in that area, Commandant Jha said that the infrastructure development by the Indian side over the years now allows Indian troops to move too close to the last point or zero point on the LAC. . Tawang Sector.