India thwarts China's attempt to change status quo at Eastern Ladakh; Army warns Beijing

In a massive development at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops violated the previous consensus arrived at during military & diplomatic engagements on the intervening night of August 29 &30 August. The Indian Amry thwarted China's intentions to unilaterally change facts on the ground, the MoD said. 

China again tries to change the status quo

Colonel Aman Anand, PRO, Indian Army in a statement said that the Chinese side carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo. "Indian troops pre-empted this PLA activity on the Southern Bank of Pangong Tso Lake, undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on the ground," the official statement by the Defence Ministry said.

The Ministry said that the Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity through dialogue but is also equally determined to protect its territorial integrity. It informed that a Brigade Commander level Flag Meeting is in progress at Chushul to resolve the issues.

On July 5, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a nearly two-hour-long telephonic conversation on ways to resolve the row. The formal process of disengagement of troops began a day after Doval-Wang talks. Both Doval and Wang are special representatives for boundary talks.

India insisting on complete disengagement

In the five rounds of Corps commander-level talks, the Indian side has been insisting on complete disengagement of Chinese troops at the earliest, and immediate restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to April. The tension between the two sides escalated manifold after the violent clashes in Galwan Valley on June 15 in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed.

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The Chinese side also suffered casualties but it is yet to give out the details. According to an American intelligence report, the number of casualties on the Chinese side was 35.

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India on Thursday said a complete disengagement of troops in eastern Ladakh can be achieved only through mutually agreed reciprocal actions and also highlighted resolution of border incidents with China in the past through diplomacy. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said complete disengagement requires re-deployment of troops by each side towards their regular posts on their respective sides of the Line of Actual Control(LAC) and this can be done only through mutually agreed actions.

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Following the Galwan Valley incident, the government gave the armed forces "full freedom" to give a "befitting" response to any Chinese misadventure along the LAC. The Army sent thousands of additional troops to forward locations along the border following the deadly clashes. The IAF has also moved air defence systems as well as a sizeable number of its frontline combat jets and attack helicopters to several key airbases.

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(With agency inputs)