Pawan Mishra, New Delhi: On the long-running border dispute with China, Army Chief General MM Naravane said that the 14th Corps Commander level talks are going on and I hope that we will see progress in it in the coming days. Although there has been a partial disengagement, the danger has not subsided.
The Army Chief said that the deployment of troops from the LAC in Eastern Ladakh will be reduced only when there is a trust between the armies of the two countries. Before that there will be disengagement. Then there will be de-escalation and when trust is restored, then the deployment will be reduced on the basis of consent from both the sides. He said, “It is not correct to assume that every round of meeting will yield some outcome in India-China Military Commander level talks on LAC. But we are hopeful that in the talks that are going on today, we will reach an agreement on PP-15.
General MM Naravane said, “We are in a better position now than we were in a year and a half ago at the LAC. There has been some disengagement along the LAC, but that does not mean that the threat has gone down. We have increased the deployment there. There is an attempt to resolve the matter through talks, but we are ready for any environment. But if this happens, then war will be the only option. We are fully prepared to deal with any situation and win.
Speaking on Pakistan, MM Naravane said, “Proxy war is going on from their side. 350-400 terrorists are still present in the terrorist launch pad on the other side of the LoC. All this is a danger and cannot be ignored. Drones remain a threat. Through this, an attempt is made to provide logistic support to the terrorists. We are on full alert.”
“Pakistan and our soldiers are face to face in Siachen Glacier. There disengagement can take place only after the actual ground position line is accepted from both the sides and after that consent is signed. Only after that the deployment of soldiers will be removed from there.
first published:Jan. 12, 2022, 3:10 p.m.
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