NEW DELHI: army Chief general Manoj Mukund Narvane on Tuesday he addressed the annual conference where he addressed key issues related to the threat facing India from hostile neighbors and preparing the Army for any eventuality. Here are the highlights of the Narvane presser foot:
On the border confrontation between India and China in Oriental Ladakh
* India is hopeful that the border confrontation with China in eastern Ladakh will find a peaceful solution, but the Army is also prepared before any eventuality, Narvane said.
* The Army chief said that all logistics have been attended to in the event of any eventuality and the Army has maintained a high alert status throughout the northern border.
* Along the northern borders, we have been vigilant. The sticking points are in the central and eastern sectors of LAC where China has developed infrastructure. We continue to monitor it and factor it into our strategy.
* In fact, there was a rebalancing requirement towards the northern borders and that is what we have put in place now. We are prepared to stand firm for as long as it takes to achieve our national goals and objectives.
* The talks (between India and China) will be used to address the issues on the basis of mutual and equal security. I’m sure we can solve the problem.
On reducing force in eastern Ladakh
* Every year, the troops of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) arrive in traditional training areas. With winter and the end of the training period, the training areas have been vacated.
* It is fair to assume that those troops that were in deep areas on the Tibetan plateau have returned and that is the reduction of forces on the plateau.
* There has been no decline in force on either your (China) side or our side when it comes to friction points.
* Narvane said that the Army will maintain its positions in eastern Ladakh.
* His statement comes against the background that the Chinese army is pulling back around 10,000 troops from the deep areas near the Royal Line of Control in East Ladakh, but the deployment in the frontline areas remains the same.
On Pakistan resorting to terror
* Narvane said that India has sent a clear message to Pakistan of zero tolerance towards terrorist activities.
* “Pakistan continues to embrace terrorism. We have zero tolerance for terrorism. We reserve the right to respond when and where we choose and with precision,” he said.
Can Pakistan and China unite against India?
* Without mixing words, the head of the Army said that India can not wish that the collusion between threatened countries.
* “Pakistan and China together form a powerful threat and the threat of collusion cannot be ruled out,” he said, adding that the Army continues to modify its readiness based on geopolitical developments.
* There is increased cooperation between China and Pakistan in both military and non-military sectors. The threat from the two fronts is something we should be prepared to deal with, the chief said.
2020 was a year of challenges
* Reflecting on the past year, Narvane said that the past year was full of challenges.
* We had to preach and face the challenges. We did it and came out at the top. The main challenge was CO19 and the situation on the northern borders, the chief said.
* We need to restructure and improve our capabilities considering what happened last year, Narvane said.
Army bringing new technology
* A comprehensive roadmap has been prepared to incorporate all new technologies to develop a technology-enabled army to meet the challenges of the future, said the chief.
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