New Delhi, Apr. 25 (ANI): Chief of Army Staff, General Bikram Singh, today briefed Defence Minister A.K. Antony on the Chinese incursion in Ladakh and the situation along the border.
General Singh returned from Jammu and Kashmir last evening after reviewing the situation there with Northern Army Commander Lt. Gen. K.T. Parnaik General Singh, who met top commanders of the Army during his visit, is said to have discussed various issues related to the Armed Forces with formation commanders and interacted with troops deployed on the Line of Control and counter insurgency duties.
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid today said that a mechanism was in place, which would help to resolve the ongoing dispute.
“There is variance of perception between us and them and there is no demarcation of the actual line of control. Dialogue is going on at different levels. Mechanisms are in place and peace and tranquility is to be maintained at the border. There is a mechanism and that mechanism kicks in when some incident of this nature is alleged to have happened or actually happens. That mechanism is now working,” said Khurshid.
“Let us allow that mechanism to find the solution, which repeatedly it has found and we have good reason to believe that it should be able to do it again,” he added.
Khurshid is expected to visit Beijing on May 9 amid growing tension between India and China over incursions in Ladakh.
“I am going and I believe group of press people representing you are also going,” he said, when asked to comment on his visit to China.
Defence Minister A.K. Antony yesterday said the government will take every step to protect national integrity of the country to resolve the situation arising out of the incursion by Chinese troops in Ladakh.
“Our government will take every step to protect the national integrity of the country. At the same time, negotiations are going on at various levels to resolve the issue peacefully,” he said.
Apparently taking a tough stance on the reported presence of Chinese troops ten kilometers inside Indian territory in the Ladakh region, India had earlier on Tuesday asked China to maintain the status-quo on the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Referring to the incident, reported widely in the Indian media, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said during his regular briefing said that ‘New Delhi sees this as a face-to-face situation between border personnel of the two sides due to differences in their perception of the alignment of the Line of Actual Control’.
“We have therefore asked the Chinese side to maintain status-quo in this sector and by status-quo I mean status-quo prior to this incident. The term face-to-face situation is not something that we have conjured up ; it is something that is referred to under 205 protocol for the implementation of CBMs in the military field along the Line of Actual Control in the India-China border areas,” he added.
A Platoon-strength contingent of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) entered the Indian territory in Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) sector in eastern Ladakh and erected a tented post, setting the stage for a face-off with Indian troops.
Daulat Beg Oldi, which is located in northernmost Ladakh, is a historic camp site. It is located on an ancient trade route connecting Ladakh to Yarkand in Xinjiang, China.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/army-chief-briefs-antony-on-chinese-incursion-in-ladakh/
