The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has opened a new front along the disputed Royal Line of Control (LAC), with its “provocative military moves” on the southern shore of Pangong Tso Lake in Ladakh in the middle of the night. August 29 and 30. with the goal of altering the status quo in the area, people familiar with the events said Monday.
Until now, Chinese aggression in this sector was limited to the north shore of the lake, the Finger Area, which has emerged as the most difficult part of the withdrawal process.
Also read: India is ahead of China’s aggressive move near Pangong Lake
“The EPL’s intentions are exposed. Instead of carrying out the disengagement and restoring the status quo ante in existing areas of friction, China is bent on changing the status quo in new areas, ”the officials said.
In a statement on the latest Chinese provocation, army spokesman Colonel Aman Anand said on Monday that the PLA has violated the consensus reached during military and diplomatic engagements to reduce tension in eastern Ladakh, where the two armies They have been locked in a tense standoff from early on. May.
See also | Indian Army thwarts new Chinese attempt to change status quo in Ladakh
Also read: Chinese troops ‘strictly’ comply with LAC, never cross the line: Beijing
He said the army took steps to strengthen its positions and thwart the PLA’s intention to unilaterally change the facts on the ground on the southern shore of the lake.
Experts agreed that the PLA was trying to change the status quo in new areas.
“While there are areas on the north shore where the Indian army only conducts patrols, the south shore is heavily controlled by us. The PLA is fully aware of this. Any transgression by the PLA in this area is a clear indication that the PLA is trying to change the status quo and open a new front, ”said Lieutenant General DS Hooda (retd), former commander of the Northern Army.
The north shore of the lake has been at the center of the current round of border tension, as the PLA has refused to withdraw from the Finger Area, which refers to a set of eight cliffs jutting out of the Sirijap mountain range overlooking the lake. .
Before the PLA took up positions on Finger 4 with a view to Indian deployments, the army patrolled up to Finger 8 which New Delhi regards as an integral part of its territory. The new posts taken by the PLA have reduced the reach of the Indian patrols.
Fingers 4 and 8 are separated by eight kilometers (km).
“The Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquility through dialogue, but is also equally determined to protect its territorial integrity,” the army statement said.
A brigade commander-level flag meeting is taking place in Chushul to resolve the situation on the south bank.
Tension in LAC has intensified at a time when talks with China to reduce border tension in eastern Ladakh are stalled and the two sides have failed to bridge their differences in the process of withdrawal and de-escalation.
The military dialogue between the top brass of the two sides has been stymied by China’s reluctance to restore the status quo ante in some key areas of friction throughout LAC.
The considerable presence of Chinese troops at the friction points, particularly at Pangong Lake and Depsang, is of concern to the Indian army. The disconnect has progressed smoothly at the sticking points in Galwan Valley and Hot Springs, but its pace is slow in the Gogra area.
De-escalation along the disputed border can only begin after the disconnect between the two armies in LAC.
The ground situation remains unchanged in the Ladakh sector, where both armies have deployed almost 100,000 soldiers and weaponry in their advance and depth areas.
In a recent interview with HT, the defense chief of staff, Gen. Bipin Rawat, had explicitly stated that a military option to deal with the PLA transgressions is on the table, but that it would only be exercised if the talks were successful. between the two armies and the diplomatic option. be unproductive.
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