Ladakh standoff in its 4th year, Army chief spells out what India expects from China

Ladakh standoff in its 4th year, Army chief spells out what India expects from China

New Delhi: Noting that the situation at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China was “stable but sensitive”, Army chief Gen Manoj Pande Thursday spelt out what India wants China to do militarily to end the stand-off in eastern Ladakh that is in its fourth year.

He underlined that the Indian Army is maintaining a “high state” of preparedness at all levels to deal with any challenge. “Currently our attempt is to continue with talks to go back to the status quo ante which existed in the middle of 2020. Once that happens, we can look at the larger issue of de-induction. First aim is to be achieved,” he said, addressing the annual press conference here ahead of Army Day.

He was responding to a query on whether the Army still wants the Chinese to return to their positions as of April 2020 or if the situation on the ground is the new normal.

Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a stand-off at several points in eastern Ladakh for nearly five years now, even as the two sides completed disengagement from several areas following extensive diplomatic and military talks. Last week, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that though China’s relationship with India was “not normal”, the two sides have continued to hold talks.

ThePrint reported last October that India and China had agreed to carry on with winter deployment along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, with a reduction in troops and a shared aim to work out a plan to avert any additional deployment in the summer.

Sources in the defence establishment told ThePrint that military commanders at various levels from both sides have met several times since then.

Gen Pande made it clear Thursday that while talks are on, there is no let-up on operational preparedness on the Indian side. “Our operational preparedness remains very robust. We maintain adequate reserves to deal with any contingency,” he said.

The Army chief added that operational deployment of troops was not just limited to Ladakh but all along the LAC, including in the central and eastern sectors.

Both India and China currently have nearly 50,000 troops, besides equipment, deployed on the border. During winters, the number of deployed soldiers comes down drastically.

As reported by ThePrint earlier, the Indian Air Force (IAF) ferried in over 68,000 additional troops along with nearly 90 tanks and over 300 infantry combat vehicles into the icy heights of Ladakh after the 2020 Galwan clash.

Despite the disengagement since then from the Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A) and Hot Springs (PP-15), India and China continue to maintain thousands of additional troops and equipment along the LAC.

(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)