<p>India is “facing a challenge” along its disputed boundary with China in Ladakh and prepared “to deal with all contingencies”, even as it remains committed to peacefully resolve the military stand-off with the neighbouring communist country, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.</p>.<p>With New Delhi losing hope for an early end to the four-month-long military stand-off in India-China border areas, the Defence Minister sent out a message to Beijing about the Indian Army’s preparedness for a long haul in the icy heights of the Himalayas, in order to defend national sovereignty even during winter.</p>.<p>He said that the soldiers of the Indian Army were “capable” of defending territorial integrity against expansionist moves by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) even “at forbidding altitudes with scarce oxygen and extremely cold temperatures” as they had been “effortlessly” doing it over the last many years in Siachen and Kargil. He said that the government was providing winterwear and tents to withstand cold weather to the soldiers so that they could stand guard at the freezing altitudes in India-China border areas.</p>.<p>External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a meeting in Moscow last Thursday and agreed on five points, including on restarting stalled talks between senior military commanders to defuse tension along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) – the de facto boundary between the two nations in the western sector.</p>.<p>The Defence Minister’s statement in the Lok Sabha, however, indicated that the five-point consensus did not raise much hope in New Delhi for an early end to the stand-off between the Indian Army and the Chinese PLA.</p>.<p>Singh apprised the Lok Sabha about the current situation along the disputed India-China boundary. He said that the Chinese PLA had “mobilized a large number of troops and armaments along the LAC as well as in the depth areas”. “There are several friction areas in Eastern Ladakh including Gogra, Kongka La and North and South Banks of Pangong Tso (lake),” said the Defence Minister. He added that the Indian Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police too responded with “appropriate counter deployments” on all the face-off points to safeguard security interests of India.</p>.<p>He urged the Lok Sabha to “reiterate confidence and faith in the velour of the brave armed forces and support them in the mission that they have undertaken to protect the territorial integrity” of India.</p>.<p>The Defence Minister informed the Lok Sabha that the Indian Army had noticed a build-up of troops and armaments by the Chinese PLA in the border areas in eastern Ladakh since April. The PLA in early May had made a move “to hinder the normal, traditional patrolling pattern” of the Indian Army troops in the Galwan Valley area, resulting in a face-off. Even as this situation was being addressed by the ground commanders (of both armies) as per the provisions of our bilateral agreements and protocol, the Chinese Army in mid-May made several attempts to transgress the LAC in other parts of the western sector, including Kongka La, Gogra and northern bank of Pangong Tso. “These attempts were detected early and consequently responded to appropriately by our armed forces,” said Singh.</p>.<p>He reiterated New Delhi’s position that the PLA had flouted the 1993 and 1996 India-China agreements by amassing such a large number of troops along the LAC. He noted that India-China pacts on maintaining peace and tranquillity along the disputed boundary had detailed procedures and norms to deal with the face-offs. “However, in the recent incidents, this year, the violent conduct of Chinese (PLA) forces has been in complete violation of all mutually agreed norms”, said the Defence Minister, who also had a meeting with his counterpart in the communist country, Wei Fenghe, in Moscow on September 4.</p>
<p>India is “facing a challenge” along its disputed boundary with China in Ladakh and prepared “to deal with all contingencies”, even as it remains committed to peacefully resolve the military stand-off with the neighbouring communist country, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.</p>.<p>With New Delhi losing hope for an early end to the four-month-long military stand-off in India-China border areas, the Defence Minister sent out a message to Beijing about the Indian Army’s preparedness for a long haul in the icy heights of the Himalayas, in order to defend national sovereignty even during winter.</p>.<p>He said that the soldiers of the Indian Army were “capable” of defending territorial integrity against expansionist moves by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) even “at forbidding altitudes with scarce oxygen and extremely cold temperatures” as they had been “effortlessly” doing it over the last many years in Siachen and Kargil. He said that the government was providing winterwear and tents to withstand cold weather to the soldiers so that they could stand guard at the freezing altitudes in India-China border areas.</p>.<p>External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a meeting in Moscow last Thursday and agreed on five points, including on restarting stalled talks between senior military commanders to defuse tension along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) – the de facto boundary between the two nations in the western sector.</p>.<p>The Defence Minister’s statement in the Lok Sabha, however, indicated that the five-point consensus did not raise much hope in New Delhi for an early end to the stand-off between the Indian Army and the Chinese PLA.</p>.<p>Singh apprised the Lok Sabha about the current situation along the disputed India-China boundary. He said that the Chinese PLA had “mobilized a large number of troops and armaments along the LAC as well as in the depth areas”. “There are several friction areas in Eastern Ladakh including Gogra, Kongka La and North and South Banks of Pangong Tso (lake),” said the Defence Minister. He added that the Indian Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police too responded with “appropriate counter deployments” on all the face-off points to safeguard security interests of India.</p>.<p>He urged the Lok Sabha to “reiterate confidence and faith in the velour of the brave armed forces and support them in the mission that they have undertaken to protect the territorial integrity” of India.</p>.<p>The Defence Minister informed the Lok Sabha that the Indian Army had noticed a build-up of troops and armaments by the Chinese PLA in the border areas in eastern Ladakh since April. The PLA in early May had made a move “to hinder the normal, traditional patrolling pattern” of the Indian Army troops in the Galwan Valley area, resulting in a face-off. Even as this situation was being addressed by the ground commanders (of both armies) as per the provisions of our bilateral agreements and protocol, the Chinese Army in mid-May made several attempts to transgress the LAC in other parts of the western sector, including Kongka La, Gogra and northern bank of Pangong Tso. “These attempts were detected early and consequently responded to appropriately by our armed forces,” said Singh.</p>.<p>He reiterated New Delhi’s position that the PLA had flouted the 1993 and 1996 India-China agreements by amassing such a large number of troops along the LAC. He noted that India-China pacts on maintaining peace and tranquillity along the disputed boundary had detailed procedures and norms to deal with the face-offs. “However, in the recent incidents, this year, the violent conduct of Chinese (PLA) forces has been in complete violation of all mutually agreed norms”, said the Defence Minister, who also had a meeting with his counterpart in the communist country, Wei Fenghe, in Moscow on September 4.</p>
