Indian Army Staff Chief Says Situation At Border With China Stable

Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published March 17, 2023 | 03:40 PM

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th March, 2023) The situation along the de facto border between India and China, the line of actual control (LAC), is stable, but requires further monitoring, Chief of the Indian Army Staff Gen. Manoj Pande said on Friday.

"Overall, the situation along the LAC is stable but we need to keep a close watch on the situation as it develops. As far as the deployment of forces by the adversary is concerned, there has been no significant reduction in the deployment. There is a great focus on modernization of forces, especially those deployed opposite the LAC," Pande said at the 2023 India Today Conclave in New Delhi.

The solution to the border issue can be achieved only through dialogue and conversations, the Indian army staff chief said, adding that until then India's deployment of forces would remain at a high level.

"As far as what we are doing, we have a robust deployment all along the LAC and all three sectors. We have adequate reserves to deal with any contingencies. With the infusion of new technology and weapon systems, our capability development is an ongoing endeavour.

We are focusing on infra development, especially forward area roads, and helipads," Pande said.

India and China have thousands of square miles of disputed borderlands between them, from the Ladakh region, which is triangulated with Pakistan's Kashmir claims, to Arunachal Pradesh to the east of Bhutan. Border conflicts are a permanent fixture of India-China relations, as the countries do not have a marked border but rather the LAC, created after the 1962 border war between the nations.

The tensions in Ladakh between the two nations escalated in May 2020. Following several conflicts in the area of Pangong Lake, Beijing's actions prompted New Delhi to increase its military presence on the border.

In an attempt to reduce tensions, New Delhi and Beijing launched disengagement consultations in early June 2020, with the first phase of disengagement on the northern and southern banks of Pangong Lake completed in February 2021.