Negotiations on to solve Chinese incursion issue: Antony

Defence Minister A K Antony today said negotiations and consultations are on at various levels to find a peaceful solution to the Chinese incursion issue in Ladakh.

His comments came a day after External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid asserted in Almaty in Kazhakistan that India was "not a pushover" and that the issue of Chinese incursion in Ladakh would be resolved before he visits Beijing on May 9.

"Negotiations and consultations are going on at various levels to find out a peaceful solution to Chinese incursion issue," Antony told reporters outside Parliament House.

The Defence Minister was yesterday briefed by Army chief Gen Bikram Singh, who reviewed the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the Ladakh area with military commanders in the Northern Command.

The Army has given its inputs to the Government and the National Security Advisor-headed China Study Group, which is handling the present situation in Ladakh.
The Army has also given various options to the Government on the issue including the aggressive use of military to handle the present situation.

All the options suggested to the China Study Group are being looked at carefully and other stakeholders in the situation have also given their inputs.

The Army had rushed its troops from the 5 Ladakh Scouts battalion to the DBO area and they are camping there. The force is also considering the option of dispatching additional troops if the need arises.

On April 15, a platoon-strength contingent of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) had come 10 km inside the Indian territory in Burthe in the DBO sector and established a tented post there.