Security throughout LAC improved, delicate and serious situation, says Naravane Army chief


Army Chief Manoj Mukund Naravane said on Friday that the situation along the controversial Royal Line of Control (LAC) was “delicate and serious” and that the army has taken some precautionary measures to improve security in the wake of the ongoing events. Naravane arrived in Leh on Thursday for a two-day security review of the Ladakh sector, where the armies of India and China have deployed nearly 100,000 troops and weaponry in their advance and depth areas.

He said the situation has been delicate for more than three months. The army chief said talks are underway at the military and diplomatic level to resolve the situation. “I am sure that the talks can help solve the border problem completely,” Naravane said, after visiting several advanced areas.

He said the soldiers were highly motivated and fully prepared to deal with any situation. “Our officers and men are the best in the world and will not only make the military proud, but also the nation.”

Amid escalating tensions with China in the Ladakh sector following provocative Chinese actions on the southern shore of Pangong Tso and India’s counter maneuvers to occupy key heights, Defense Chief of Staff Gen. Bipin Rawat said on Thursday Pakistan could try to take advantage of any threats that develop. along the northern borders of India, but warned that the Pakistani army would suffer heavy losses if it attempted any “misadventures”.

Rawat highlighted the threat of “coordinated action” by the armies of China and Pakistan along the northern and western borders and stressed that the Indian armed forces were capable of handling the joint threat.

The CDS said that India’s military strategy to meet a dual challenge would be based on identifying a primary and a secondary front for driving operations.

The Indian Army has readjusted its deployments at multiple points throughout LAC in eastern Ladakh, including the northern shore of Lake Pangong, to prevent the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) from conducting aggressive maneuvers to unilaterally alter the status quo in disputed areas.

Tensions flared in the sensitive sector after the Indian army occupied key locations on the southern shore of Pangong Lake to prevent the PLA from seizing Indian territory in a stealth move midnight on August 29.

Officers with the rank of brigade commander from the two sides have held a series of talks to reduce tensions, but the dialogue has yielded no results and neither armies are willing to make concessions.

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