China 'provokes again with military movements in Ladakh
01 Sep 2020
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China has carried out "provocative military movements" in the Pangong Tso Lake area in Ladakh, in a fresh flare-up in the northern border, part of which was transgressed by the Chinese soldiers in May. Indian troops pre-empted Chinese army's activity in the intervening night of 29/340 August, the Army said.
The Army statement said that Indian troops took steps to thwart the Chinese attempt to "unilaterally change" facts on the ground.
"On the Night of 29/30 August 2020, PLA troops violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in Eastern Ladakh and 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 ground,” a defence ministry release stated.
“The Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquility through dialogue, but is also equally determined to protect its territorial integrity. A Brigade Commander level Flag Meeting is in progress at Chushul to resolve the issues,” it added.
Army officials from the two sides are meeting to resolve the latest border dispute that comes more than two months after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in fighting that broke out between the two sides in Ladakh's Galwan Valley.
China's foreign ministry as usual dismissed the allegations made by India. “ China’s border troops "always strictly abide by the Line of Actual Control, and never cross the line", spokesman Zhao Lijian told a news briefing.
Foreign Minister S Jaishankar has termed the latest border stand-off as "the most serious situation after 1962" war with China.
"This is surely the most serious situation after 1962. In fact, after 45 years, we have had military casualties on this border. The quantum of forces currently deployed by both sides at the LAC is also unprecedented," Rediff.com qquoted Jaishankar as saying in an interview last week.
Provocations by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) began at three places in April, and by June it escalated and spread to two other places toward the north in Depsang and Galwan Valley where India has built an all-weather military road along the disputed frontier.
On June 15, the situation turned deadly when the rival troops engaged in a night-time clash in Galwan that left 20 Indian soldiers dead. China did not report any casualties.
