On Leh visit, Army Chief tells jawans to 'remain vigilant' amid LAC faceoff

The Chief of Army Staff, General MM Naravane, concluded a two-day visit to Leh on Friday and urged all ranks to remain vigilant and maintain a high order of operational readiness amid simmering tensions with the Chinese side on the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. The COAS arrived at Leh a day earlier and proceeded to forward areas to undertake a firsthand assessment of the situation along the LAC.

According to an official statement, General MM Naravane interacted with soldiers and local commanders deployed in difficult high altitude forward areas.

"He appreciated their high morale and standards of professionalism exhibited by the units in safeguarding India's territorial integrity. The COAS urged all ranks to remain vigilant and maintain a high order of operational readiness," it said.

Moreover, he stated that the situation on the LAC is slightly tensed and the Army has therefore stepped up precautionary deployment for safety and security. This has also been done in order to ensure that India's security and integrity remain safeguarded,  he told ANI.

Later, at Leh, Lt Gen YK Joshi, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command and Lt General Harinder Singh, GOC, Fire and Fury Corps, briefed the Army chief on the state of operational preparedness and on the logistics arrangements for the sustenance of forces in winters. The COAS expressed satisfaction on the efforts being made to ensure operational effectiveness and capability enhancement of the forces.

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On Thursday, IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria also made a visit at the bases in the Eastern Air Command, where he was apprised of the readiness state and operational preparedness of the combat units by the respective air officers commanding.

Notably, the Indian Air Force has deployed its assets, including frontline fighters and attack helicopters, in the eastern Ladakh sector to tackle any hostile situation. From its frontline fighters like Su-30MKI to MiG-29, the IAF has also deployed newly inducted Apache attack helicopters and Chinook strategic heavy-lift choppers.

Tensions flared in eastern Ladakh after the PLA unsuccessfully attempted to occupy Indian territory in the Southern Bank of Pangong lake four days back when the two sides were engaged in diplomatic and military talks to resolve the festering border row. India occupied a number of strategic heights on the southern bank of Pangong lake and strengthened its presence in Finger 2 and Finger 3 areas in the region to thwart any Chinese actions. Beijing has strongly objected to India's move.

'Talks only way forward for solution'

Meanwhile, India on Thursday said the border tension in Ladakh over the past four months is a "direct result" of Chinese actions aimed at effecting unilateral change in the status quo of the region and asserted that the only way forward to resolve it was through negotiations. At an online media briefing, MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said the Chinese actions resulted in "violation" of the bilateral agreements and protocol which ensured peace and tranquillity in the border areas for close to three decades.

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