JOIN USIndia-China row: Situation remains tense in Ladakh
The India-China face-off situation in eastern Ladakh continues to be very tense a day after 45 years of silence at the Line of Actual Control was shattered by gunshots, as Chinese People’s Liberation Army made one more attempt to engage with the Indian troops near Finger 4 on the northern bank of Pangong Tso.
In the Chushul sector in the southern banks of the lake, Indian troops dominate the heights but the PLA soldiers are in an aggressive stand-off at a distance of 100-200 metre between the men from the two sides. With no reservation on firing now, the situation is even more volatile.
Multiple television channels reported Wednesday that the India-China face-off could take any trajectory but hadn't reached the threshold of war, quoting an unnamed government official.
The official said it was the Chinese leadership and not the local commanders, who had been controlling the situation,
A four-hour-long Brigade Commander level meeting took place at Chushul, but it failed to end the impasse. The two sides agreed to hold a Corps Commander level talk, but the date and venue are yet to be finalized. Five such talks have happened so far without any result.
Sources said India strengthened its defences on the south bank of Pangong Tso including the heights near Rezang La and Renchen La. Some of the areas have been cordoned off with barbed wires and the PLA has been warned about the consequences if such fencing are breached.
On the north bank of the 135 km long V-shaped lake, Indian troops have occupied a few higher points themselves above the PLA troops who occupy the lower heights of the ridgeline.
The Chinese soldiers made an attempt on Tuesday to come close to the Indian positions and provoke the troops near the Finger-4 on the north bank. The efforts, however, didn’t succeed because of a strong Indian build-up.
The Army headquarters has asked the field commanders to ensure that no Chinese transgression takes place. The forces have also been told to go by the rule books while guarding the territory.
The two countries have amassed thousands of troops, heavy artillery, tanks and firepower on both sides of the disputed boundary as a part of the build-up.
The Indian Army on Tuesday said Chinese troops attempted to close in on an Indian position near the southern bank of Pangong lake on the evening of September 7 and fired shots in the air. But a day before, the PLA alleged that Indian troops crossed the LAC and "outrageously fired" warning shots near the Pangong lake.
Last week Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met his Chinese counterpart Gen Wei Fenghe in Moscow, but the first ever meeting between the two Defence Ministers since the crisis broke out in eastern Ladakh in May failed to break the deadlock.