This is the first time that someone in the Indian establishment has come on record to say the present standoff in Galwan Valley and Pangong Tso is much more than a “patrol skirmish” that occurs due to a “difference in perception” of the LAC.
WEB DESK
In the first clear statement from the Indian government on the India-China standoff, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said Chinese forces have intruded into what India considers its territory in Eastern Ladakh.
In an interview to Network18, Singh said, “Presently at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Chinese are claiming they are in their territory, but India says it is our territory. The Chinese have come in large numbers but we are there in good numbers as well.”
This is the first time that someone in the Indian establishment has come on record to say the present standoff in Galwan Valley and Pangong Tso is much more than a “patrol skirmish” that occurs due to a “difference in perception” of the LAC.
Reports from the ground and satellite imagery has shown how China continues to build up its reserves at the LAC despite continuing talks with India.
Singh said diplomatic and military level talks continue between the two countries and that a “high-level military meeting with the Chinese is scheduled on June 6”.
Sources in the Army said a Major General-level talk between the two armies is scheduled for June 6, but it could easily be escalated to the level of Corp Commander or even the Northern Army Commander.
Northern Army Commander Lt Gen YK Joshi made a quiet trip to Ladakh on Tuesday to review the situation on the ground. India has sent in tanks, artillery guns and armoured vehicles as well as some troop reinforcements from Kashmir. The Chinese on the other side have also come in with similar weaponry and have built semi-permanent tents and bunkers inside Indian territory both at Galwan Valley and Pangong Tso.
Network18