Situation At LAC Under Control, Ready For Any Eventuality: Army Chief
(This was originally posted in India Today by Manjeet Singh)
Army chief General MM Naravane, who is conducting a security review of forward areas in eastern Ladakh, said Saturday that China has built substantial infrastructure on the other side of the Line of Actual Control but assured that the Indian forces were ready for any eventuality. “China has built a lot of infrastructure on its side to deploy more troops. We are monitoring so that we are ready to respond. We have inducted advanced weaponry. We are strong, we are ready to face any situation,” Chief of the Army Staff General MM Naravane said in an exclusive interview with India Today TV.
Gen Naravane is on a two-day visit to eastern Ladakh to take stock of India’s operational preparedness in the backdrop of its prolonged military standoff with China in the mountainous region. The visit comes barely two months after the Indian and Chinese forces carried out the second round of disengagement in early August when both sides pulled back their forward deployed troops from Gogra point.
The COAS said India is actively pursuing a long-term resolution to the border stand-off with the People’s Liberation Army of China and is hopeful that the two sides can agree on further disengagement at the next round of Corps Commander talks. “Talks keep happening at all levels, 12 rounds have happened till now. The 13th round is expected soon. I’m hopeful that the remaining points will be cleared soon,” he said. Negotiations are underway for pullback at Hot Springs; other friction areas like Depsang and Demchok will be taken up for discussion soon.
ON CROSS-BORDER INFILTRATION
For several months this year, the guns and mortars fell silent on India’s north-western border with Pakistan. Now, however, terrorists are once again attempting to infiltrate the LOC into India, said Gen Naravane. To combat this, the Indian Army is keeping a strict vigil and has thwarted several infiltration bids in the past few weeks.
“The Ceasefire treaty was good but since the last two months, infiltration was attempted which we have thwarted. These infiltrations are not possible without the Pakistan Army’s knowledge,” he said.
ON AFGHANISTAN TERROR THREAT
Kabul fell to the Taliban on August 15. Expressing concerns over the hardline insurgent outfit’s takeover of Afghanistan, India on September 20 said that the country’s territory should not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing terrorist acts. As far as the terrorist threat is concerned, the Indian Army is ready to meet all challenges, Gen Naravane said. It’s too early to talk but we are keeping an eye on the developments. The situation will be monitored. The armed forces continue to carry out periodic evaluation of threat perceptions,” he stated.
