LEH: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has termed the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC)in eastern Ladakh as ‘very fragile’, further made ‘quite dangerous’ in military assessment because of close deployments of troops of both sides in some pockets.
Noting that he and former Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi had reached an in-principle agreement in September 2020 on how to resolve the issue, Jaishankar said that even though substantial progress has been made in the disengagement process in many areas, but “it is now for China to deliver on what was agreed to.”
In an interactive session at the India Today conclave, the external affairs minister asserted that the relationship between the two countries cannot return to normal until ‘these problems’ are sorted out.
The Indian and Chinese troops are locked in a standoff for the past three years at certain friction points in eastern Ladakh even as the two sides completed disengagement of troops from several areas following extensive diplomatic and military talks.
“This is a very, I would say, challenging and abnormal phase in our ties with China. Why I say that is because from 1988 when Rajiv Gandhi went there till 2020 the understanding was that peace and tranquility on the border would be maintained,” Jaishankar said.
The external affairs minister also referred to agreements between the two sides to not bring large forces to the border, adding a “very specific” set of understandings and even protocols were put in place on the handling of various situations.
Jaishankar said the Chinese violated the agreements in 2020 and the consequences were seen in the Galwan Valley and other areas as well.
“We have deployed our troops, we have stood our ground and the situation to my mind still remains very fragile because there are places where our deployments are very close up and in military assessment, actually therefore, quite dangerous,” he said.
“Now we have made substantial progress when it comes to disengagement in many areas. There are many areas where we have ongoing discussions. It is a painstaking job and we will do that,” he said.
“We have made it very clear to the Chinese that we cannot have a breach of peace and tranquility, you can’t violate agreements and then want the rest of the relationship to continue as though nothing happened. That’s just not tenable,” Jaishankar added.
The minister’s comments came a day after Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande said that the situation along the LAC is stable but there is a need to keep a “very close watch” on it.
In his remarks, the external affairs minister also referred to his meeting with his new Chinese counterpart Qin Gang on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Delhi on March 2.
“My most recent encounter in this regard was with the new foreign minister Qin Gang when the G20 foreign ministers meeting took place and we had a long discussion about it. In September 2020, Wang Yi and I had an in-principle agreement on how to resolve it. So the Chinese have to deliver on what was agreed to and they have struggled with that,” he said.
Asked why the Chinese side is struggling to deliver, Jaishankar said the question should be put to the Chinese side.
“That’s a question you need to ask them. I cannot answer it. Because, for me, it is very clear cut. Until these problems are sorted out, we will not return to a normal relationship. I want to make that very very clear,” he said.
On February 22, India and China held in-person diplomatic talks in Beijing and discussed proposals for disengagement in the remaining friction points along the LAC in eastern Ladakh in an “open and constructive manner”.
Earlier while speaking at the Conclave, Army Chief Gen Pande had said the Indian Army has a robust deployment of troops all along the LAC besides having adequate reserves to deal with any contingencies.
“Overall, I would say that the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is stable but we need to keep a very close watch on the situation as it develops,” he said.
“As far as the deployment of forces by the adversary is concerned, there has been no significant reduction in the deployment. There is a great focus on modernization of forces, especially those deployed opposite the LAC,” Gen Pande said.
He said both sides are engaged in talks to resolve the remaining issues in eastern Ladakh.
“Till the time a resolution happens, our deployment of forces, our alertness level will continue to remain of a very high level,” General Pande said.
He said the infrastructure development on the “other side is coming about at a very hectic pace, be it the road infrastructure in terms of the highways which run along the LAC, be it the upgrading of airfields and heliports”.
Gen Pande said these are some major developments which need to be taken note of specially in the context of the adversary’s ability to mobilise troops.
“As far as what we are doing, I think we have a robust deployment all along the LAC and all three sectors. I must mention that we have adequate reserves to deal with any contingencies,” he said.
“With the infusion of new technology and new weapon systems, our capability development is an ongoing endeavour. Equally we are focussing on infrastructure development, especially forward area roads, and helipads etc,” he said.
He said the Indian Army’s preparedness levels are high.
“From the winter months, now we are transiting into the summer months and we have undertaken minor changes as you would do as summer posture,” Gen Pande added.
The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area.
The ties between the two countries nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.
As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in 2021 on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area.
