Lieutenant General-rank officials of India and China met for almost 10 hours on Monday, discussing the way forward after the Galwan valley clash along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The last such meeting on June 6 had tasked middle-level officials to implement a formula to step back from flashpoints.
Amid LAC crisis, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrives in Moscow on a three-day visit. Courtesy: Twitter
32 road projects along LAC to be expedited
- New Delhi: The Centre on Monday reviewed ongoing road projects along the Sino-Indian border and decided to expedite work on 32 of them, officials said. PTI
Tanks airlifted to Ladakh
- Chandigarh: The IAF has airlifted dozens of additional tanks and armoured personnel carriers to Himalayan heights. It has used its American C-17s and Russian IL-76s freighters for multiple sorties out of Chandigarh and other places.
At today’s meeting, no dramatic breakthrough was expected with China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) adamant that it would not alter its stance. The two sides met at Moldo on the Chinese side of the designated meeting point at Chushul-Moldo, 200 km south-east of Leh.
The meeting, that started at 11.30 am, concluded past 10 pm, according to officials in New Delhi.
Lt Gen Harinder Singh, the Commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps, was tasked with conveying to China to restore status quo as it prevailed on May 4, the day before the first clash between troops on May 5. India has cited how China had violated all agreements, protocols and the laid-down drills related to maintaining ‘peace and tranquillity’ along the LAC and for the conduct of soldiers.
New Delhi’s military officials have asked the PLA to demolish all structures that it has built in disputed areas along the LAC, especially the ‘Finger 4’ area north of Pangong Tso, a 135-km glacial-melt lake.
Status quo ante would mean pulling back troops and tanks, amassed by both sides in the past weeks and permitting each other’s patrols to pass through the disputed areas.
In New Delhi, the apex leadership of the Indian Army carried out a comprehensive review of India’s security preparedness along the LAC in Ladakh.
With inputs from Tribune News Service