NEW DELHI: Defense Minister Rajnath Singh made a firm assertion in Parliament on Thursday that no force in the world can stop Indian soldiers from patrolling the country’s borders in the Ladakh region.
While reaffirming India’s desire to resolve the standoff with China “peacefully”, Singh said: “We will not back down from taking any big and hard steps in the interest of our country.” He was answering questions from opposition leaders such as AK Antony and Anand Sharma from Congress, who wanted to know if India had clearly made the restoration of the status quo as of mid-April a non-negotiable demand.
Sharing a detailed timeline of tensions on the border over the months, the defense minister said that it is clear from Chinese activities that “unki kathani aur karni alag hai (that his words do not match his actions).” “An example of this is that even when discussions were ongoing, the Chinese side again engaged in provocative military maneuvers on the night of August 29 and 30 in an attempt to change the status quo in the South Bank area of the lake. Pangong. But once again, the firm and timely actions of our armed forces in LAC prevented such attempts from being successful, ”he added. There has been no progress since the Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and its Chinese counterpart Wang Yi agreed to a five-point consensus on disconnection.
In his statement in Rajya Sabha, Singh said: “No force in the world can stop Indian soldiers from patrolling. Our soldiers have sacrificed their lives just for this. ”
He was responding to a clarification requested by Antony on the issue that Indian forces cannot patrol in certain parts of the Galwan Valley. “I want to make it clear that skirmishes and clashes are due to this (the patrol issue),” he said, adding that the patrol pattern is traditional and well defined.
“While no one should doubt our determination to safeguard our borders, India believes that mutual respect and mutual sensitivity are the foundation of peaceful relations with neighbors. As we want to resolve the current situation through dialogue, we have maintained diplomatic and military engagement with the Chinese side, ”Singh added.
He shared in these discussions that India has maintained three key principles: both parties must strictly respect and observe the Royal Line of Control, neither party must attempt to unilaterally alter the status quo, and all agreements and understandings between the two parties must be fully respected. . In its whole. “The Chinese side, for its part, took the position that the situation should be handled responsibly and guarantee peace and tranquility according to the bilateral agreements and protocol. However, it is clear from the Chinese activities that his words do not match his actions, ”Singh said. He went on to say that China’s troop buildup goes against the 1993 and 1996 agreements.
Crossing party lines, members of the Upper House expressed solidarity and support for the armed forces. Leader of the opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma and former Defense Minister AK Antony from Congress called on the government to make efforts to restore the status quo ante and resolve the more than three-month-old border standoff.
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