Indian troops have secured strategic heights on the southern banks of the pangong Tso, thwarting the ‘provocation …read more
NEW DELHI: The armies of India and China held another round of talks in eastern Ladakh on Sunday in an attempt to defuse tensions, even as the situation remained “delicate” and both sides rushed to bring in additional troops and weapons afterwards. of the clashes last week, government sources said.
The nearly four-hour interaction at the brigade commander level near Chushul failed to produce any tangible results, they said.
The sources said that the Indian Army has been on a very high alert level and is ready to face any eventuality in the area.
The general situation in the region remains delicate, they said.
Tensions rose in the region after Indian troops thwarted Chinese army attempts to occupy Indian territories on the southern shore of the Pangong Lake area on the middle night of August 29-30.
After the confrontation, India occupied a series of strategic heights in the Chushul sector overlooking the crucial bases of the Chinese army. Since then, China has deployed additional troops, tanks, and anti-tank guided missiles to the area.
India has also strengthened its combat capabilities following reinforcements from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
The two sides held extensive talks on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, each lasting more than six hours, but no concrete results emerged from the negotiations.
In talks with his Chinese counterpart, General Wei Fenghe, on Friday in Moscow, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh conveyed that China’s actions, such as amassing a large number of troops, its aggressive behavior and attempts to alter the status quo in Ladakh, they violated bilateral pacts.
He also told Wei that China must strictly respect the Royal Line of Control (LAC) and not try to unilaterally change its status quo.
The sources said Singh firmly told Wei that India will not “give up one centimeter of land” and is determined to protect the integrity and sovereignty of the country at “all costs”.
On Monday, the Indian Army said the Chinese Army carried out “provocative military moves” to “unilaterally” change the status quo on the southern shore of Lake Pangong on the middle night of August 29-30, but the attempt was thwarted by Indian troops. .
The two sides were previously involved in a confrontation on the north shore of Pangong Lake, but it was the first time such an incident occurred on its south shore.
There have been reports that China has deployed J-20 long-range fighter jets and several other key assets to the strategically located Hotan air base some 310 km east of Ladakh.
In the past three months, the IAF has deployed nearly all of its front-line fighter jets such as the Sukhoi 30 MKI, Jaguar and Mirage 2000 jets to key border air bases in eastern Ladakh and elsewhere throughout LAC.
China’s new attempt to change the status quo in the Pangong Lake area is the first major incident in the area after clashes in the Galwan Valley on June 15 in which 20 members of the Indian army were killed.
China also suffered casualties, but has not yet released the details. According to an American intelligence report, she was 35 years old.
India and China have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks in the past two and a half months, but no significant progress has been made towards a resolution of the border row in eastern Ladakh.
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