News Analysis India

Tag: Patrolling Point 15

  • Situation has not returned to normal: MEA on eastern Ladakh border row

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India on Friday said the situation in eastern Ladakh has not returned to the stage of full normalcy as some steps are yet to be taken for it.

    The comments of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi came days after Chinese envoy Sun Weidong claimed that the situation in eastern Ladakh is “overall stable” as the two sides have moved from the “emergency response” that followed the Galwan valley clashes in June 2020 to “normalised” management.

    “Some steps are required for full normalcy, we have not reached there,” Bagchi said when asked about the Chinese ambassador’s remarks.

    The MEA spokesperson said India has been maintaining that it expects disengagement followed by de-escalation for the return of normalcy on the border, which could pave the way for normal ties between the two neighbouring countries.

    “We have not reached there. I would not like to say that the situation is normal. There have been some positive steps, but some steps are yet to be taken,” he said.

    Bagchi also referred to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s remarks last month that the disengagement at Patrolling Point 15 in eastern Ladakh was “one problem less” on the border.

    Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on Tuesday said the benchmark for the situation to become normal in eastern Ladakh would be to return to status quo ante prior to the standoff and a complete withdrawal of troops from all friction points.

    Though the two sides have disengaged from Patrolling Point 15 (PP-15), there has been no progress yet on resolving the standoff in the Demchok and Depsang regions.

    Following the eastern Ladakh standoff, India has been consistently maintaining that peace along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is key for the overall development of its ties with China and the state of the border will determine the state of the bilateral relationship.

    The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas.

    Both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers and heavy weaponry.

    As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process last year on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area.

    The disengagement in the Pangong lake area took place in February last year, while the withdrawal of troops and equipment from Patrolling Point 17(A) in Gogra took place in August last year.

    NEW DELHI: India on Friday said the situation in eastern Ladakh has not returned to the stage of full normalcy as some steps are yet to be taken for it.

    The comments of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi came days after Chinese envoy Sun Weidong claimed that the situation in eastern Ladakh is “overall stable” as the two sides have moved from the “emergency response” that followed the Galwan valley clashes in June 2020 to “normalised” management.

    “Some steps are required for full normalcy, we have not reached there,” Bagchi said when asked about the Chinese ambassador’s remarks.

    The MEA spokesperson said India has been maintaining that it expects disengagement followed by de-escalation for the return of normalcy on the border, which could pave the way for normal ties between the two neighbouring countries.

    “We have not reached there. I would not like to say that the situation is normal. There have been some positive steps, but some steps are yet to be taken,” he said.

    Bagchi also referred to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s remarks last month that the disengagement at Patrolling Point 15 in eastern Ladakh was “one problem less” on the border.

    Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on Tuesday said the benchmark for the situation to become normal in eastern Ladakh would be to return to status quo ante prior to the standoff and a complete withdrawal of troops from all friction points.

    Though the two sides have disengaged from Patrolling Point 15 (PP-15), there has been no progress yet on resolving the standoff in the Demchok and Depsang regions.

    Following the eastern Ladakh standoff, India has been consistently maintaining that peace along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is key for the overall development of its ties with China and the state of the border will determine the state of the bilateral relationship.

    The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas.

    Both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers and heavy weaponry.

    As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process last year on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area.

    The disengagement in the Pangong lake area took place in February last year, while the withdrawal of troops and equipment from Patrolling Point 17(A) in Gogra took place in August last year.

  • Army chief Manoj Pande flies in IAF’s Apache attack helicopter in Ladakh

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI:  Army chief General Manoj Pande flew in an Apache attack helicopter of the Indian Air Force in the Ladakh sector on Sunday and was also briefed about its capabilities and roles, the IAF said.

    Pande carried out a comprehensive review of the overall security situation in eastern Ladakh on Saturday, two days after the Indian and Chinese militaries began disengaging from Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area in the region.

    The Army on Sunday tweeted about his visit to the headquarters of the Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps.

    “General Manoj Pande #COAS visited Headquarters@firefurycorps and reviewed the operational preparedness. #COAS also interacted with the officers and staff at @firefurycorps and complimented them for their professionalism and dedication to duty,” it said in a tweet.

    General Manoj Pande, #COAS flew in an #IAF Apache attack helicopter in the Ladakh sector, today.COAS was familiarised with the flying characteristics of the platform and briefed about its capabilities and roles.#Jointmanship #Integration #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/NgHMC5CD3l
    — Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) September 11, 2022
    Commander of the Fire and Fury Corps Lieutenant General Anindya Sengupta and other senior officials apprised Gen Pande about the overall security situation, including the ongoing disengagement process in Patrolling Point 15, people familiar with the Army chief’s visit had said on Saturday.

    The Army on Saturday said Gen Pande witnessed the Parvat Prahar exercise, besides interacting with the officers and troops deployed in the region.

    The exercise featured a display of operational capabilities by artillery guns and other key weapon systems.

    Meanwhile, the IAF tweeted: “General Manoj Pande, #COAS flew in an #IAF Apache attack helicopter in the Ladakh sector, today. COAS was familiarised with the flying characteristics of the platform and briefed about its capabilities and roles. #Jointmanship #Integration #StrongerTogether.”

    Gen Pande’s visit assumes significance as the Indian and Chinese armies announced on Thursday that they had begun to disengage from Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area of eastern Ladakh, marking a significant forward movement in the stalled process to pull out troops from the remaining friction points in the region, where the two sides have been locked in a standoff for more than two years.

    The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas. Both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry.

    Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari had, during the 89th Air Force Day celebrations at the Hindon airbase last year, said the IAF’s prompt actions in response to the developments in eastern Ladakh in 2020 were a testament to its combat readiness and that its capability-enhancement programme was aimed at achieving the desired results “swiftly and decisively” across domains.

    Referring to the tri-services integration, Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari had also “assured” the nation of the IAF’s “unwavering commitment” towards delivering joint capability and generating integrated response options as a part of a coherent national strategy.

    NEW DELHI:  Army chief General Manoj Pande flew in an Apache attack helicopter of the Indian Air Force in the Ladakh sector on Sunday and was also briefed about its capabilities and roles, the IAF said.

    Pande carried out a comprehensive review of the overall security situation in eastern Ladakh on Saturday, two days after the Indian and Chinese militaries began disengaging from Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area in the region.

    The Army on Sunday tweeted about his visit to the headquarters of the Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps.

    “General Manoj Pande #COAS visited Headquarters@firefurycorps and reviewed the operational preparedness. #COAS also interacted with the officers and staff at @firefurycorps and complimented them for their professionalism and dedication to duty,” it said in a tweet.

    General Manoj Pande, #COAS flew in an #IAF Apache attack helicopter in the Ladakh sector, today.
    COAS was familiarised with the flying characteristics of the platform and briefed about its capabilities and roles.#Jointmanship #Integration #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/NgHMC5CD3l
    — Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) September 11, 2022
    Commander of the Fire and Fury Corps Lieutenant General Anindya Sengupta and other senior officials apprised Gen Pande about the overall security situation, including the ongoing disengagement process in Patrolling Point 15, people familiar with the Army chief’s visit had said on Saturday.

    The Army on Saturday said Gen Pande witnessed the Parvat Prahar exercise, besides interacting with the officers and troops deployed in the region.

    The exercise featured a display of operational capabilities by artillery guns and other key weapon systems.

    Meanwhile, the IAF tweeted: “General Manoj Pande, #COAS flew in an #IAF Apache attack helicopter in the Ladakh sector, today. COAS was familiarised with the flying characteristics of the platform and briefed about its capabilities and roles. #Jointmanship #Integration #StrongerTogether.”

    Gen Pande’s visit assumes significance as the Indian and Chinese armies announced on Thursday that they had begun to disengage from Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area of eastern Ladakh, marking a significant forward movement in the stalled process to pull out troops from the remaining friction points in the region, where the two sides have been locked in a standoff for more than two years.

    The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas. Both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry.

    Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari had, during the 89th Air Force Day celebrations at the Hindon airbase last year, said the IAF’s prompt actions in response to the developments in eastern Ladakh in 2020 were a testament to its combat readiness and that its capability-enhancement programme was aimed at achieving the desired results “swiftly and decisively” across domains.

    Referring to the tri-services integration, Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari had also “assured” the nation of the IAF’s “unwavering commitment” towards delivering joint capability and generating integrated response options as a part of a coherent national strategy.