Two days before Foreign Minister S Jaishankar meets with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow, there are reports of a fight between the Indian army and an aggressive People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the Rezang-La mountain range. Rechin La with some wounds suffered by Indian soldiers like China want to unilaterally change the status quo south of Pangong Tso.
According to the senior Indian official Tuesday morning, the situation is tense, but both sides are talking to each other at the commander level on the ground. The situation apparently came to a head on Monday night after a clash between aggressive PLA troops and Indian troops in Rechin La. The confrontation began at 6.15 pm.
While the Western Theater Command late Monday night accused the Indian troops of firing warning shots and spoke of countermeasures to “stabilize the situation”, the fact remains that the Indian army had to open warning shots even in the last week of August when the Chinese wanted to reach the Green Line (their perception of the Current Line of Control since 1960), south of Pangong Tso. In the first week of September, the PLA has strengthened all its positions in the disputed points and has increased the strength of the troops south of the lake, since the difference in the perception of LAC is great in this area.
While the Western Theater Command, which functions directly under Commander-in-Chief Xi Jinping, accuses Indian troops of aggression, the Indian goal is to hold its territory and prevent a PLA land grab in the area. The Indian ground commanders are under firm instructions to make decisions on the spot so that there is no delay in the reaction to the PLA, which at first glance is talking about peace but looking for a fight on the ground.
.
