Ganesh Kendale
NEW DELHI: Army Chief Upendra Dwivedi on Tuesday described the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh as stable but sensitive.
Addressing a curtain raiser event for the Chanakya Defence Dialogue, Gen Dwivedi acknowledged the positive signalling coming from diplomatic talks between the two countries, which aim to find an early resolution to the military standoff between China and India in the region.
However, he emphasized that the execution of any plan depends on the military commanders on the ground.
“The positive signalling is coming from the diplomatic side, but what we need to understand (is that) the diplomatic side gives options and possibilities,” he said.
“But when it comes to the execution on ground, when it relates to ground per se; it is dependent on the military commanders on both sides to take those decisions,” the Army Chief said, responding to a question.
The Army chief stressed that the situation will remain sensitive until it is restored to the pre-April 2020 state adding that the Indian military is fully operationally prepared to face any contingency.
“The situation is stable, but it is not normal and it’s sensitive. If that be the case what are we wanting? We are wanting that the situation that was there pre April 2020 should be restored,” he said.
In the complete gamut, the trust has become the “biggest casualty”, he added.
India and China have held two rounds of diplomatic talks in July and August, as well as 21 rounds of Corps Commander-level talks, to resolve the standoff. The military standoff began in early May 2020, and while disengagement has been achieved in some friction points, full resolution of the border row has not yet been achieved.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently held talks in St Petersburg, Russia, where they agreed to work with urgency and redouble efforts to achieve complete disengagement in the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh. India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas and has been pressing the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to disengage from the Depsang and Demchok areas.
