Indian army soldiers rest next to artillery guns at a makeshift transit camp before heading to Ladakh, near Baltal, southeast of Srinagar, June 16, 2020. (Reuters Photo/File)
The Major General-level talks between India and China in the wake of the violent faceoff in Ladakh’s Galwan valley ended on an inconclusive note on Wednesday. This was the second meeting between GOC 3 Division and his Chinese counterpart at PP14 on the Line of Actual Control.
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The latest development comes even as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, in a phone conversation earlier today, “agreed that the overall situation would be handled in a responsible manner, and both sides would implement the disengagement understanding of 6 June sincerely”. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in a statement, said, “Neither side would take any action to escalate matters and instead, ensure peace and tranquillity as per bilateral agreements and protocols.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, meanwhile, said the sacrifices of soldiers along the border “will not go in vain”. He has called for an all-party meeting at 5 pm on Friday, June 19 to discuss the situation along the India-China border. Presidents of various political parties are expected to take part in the virtual meeting.
People stand by the banks of the Pangong Lake, near the India-China border in Ladakh. (AP Photo: Channi Anand)
Maj Gen (Dr) G G Dwivedi, who commanded a Jat battalion in this sector in 1992, and was subsequently the defence attaché to China in 1997, told The Indian Express over the phone that he is not surprised by the recent Chinese belligerence. “It is part of China’s ‘nibble and negotiate policy’. Their grand aim is to ensure that India does not build infrastructure along the LAC, change the status of Ladakh, cosy up to the US and join the anti-China chorus caused by Covid-19. It is their way of attaining a political goal with military might, while gaining more territory in the process.’’
Negotiations depend on how strong you are on the ground. “Right now, the Chinese have an edge, we must neutralise it. We must either push them back or occupy some other place that affects them,” said Dwivedi.
READ MORE HERE
A day after the killing of 20 Indian Army personnel in clashes with the Chinese army was announced by the Indian government, key members of the global community — US, UK, Russia and the EU — responded cautiously to the clashes at the India-China border. While the US said it supported a “peaceful resolution of the current situation”, Russia “welcomed steps aimed at de-escalation” and remained “optimistic”, the UK “encouraged China and India to engage in dialogue” and the EU “encouraged both sides to show restraint and to engage in military de-escalation”. There was no condemnation of the killing of 20 Indian soldiers by any of the countries.
READ MORE HERE
Villages close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) where the confrontation between the Indian and Chinese soldiers took place are “completely cut off from communication”, the Chief Executive Councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) told The Indian Express on Wednesday.
The authorities “have not been able to reach local councillors there as well,” Gyal P Wangyal said. The LAHDC, Leh, is the key governing body of the Ladakh region.
India late on Wednesday reacted on the statement by the Chinese side that the sovereignty of the Galwan valley area belongs to China. "Making exaggerated and untenable claims is contrary to this understanding," a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs read with reference to its earlier statement on both sides agreeing to handle the situation "in a responsible manner".
In response to a query on the statement by the Chinese side that the sovereignty of the Galvan valley area belongs to China, the Official Spokesperson Mr. Anurag Srivastava said,
" As we have conveyed earlier today External Affairs Minister and the State Councillor and Foreign Minister of China had a phone conversation on recent developments in Ladakh. Both sides have agreed that the overall situation should be handled in a responsible manner and that the understandings reached between Senior Commanders on 6th June should be implemented sincerely. Making exaggerated and untenable claims is contrary to this understanding."
#A fresh round of talks Wednesday at the level of Major Generals after Monday’s violent faceoff between Indian and Chinese soldiers failed to break the deadlock between the two sides, with the meeting ending on an inconclusive note.
#In his first public remark on the violent clashes between Indian and Chinese forces in Galwan Valley, in which 20 military personnel were killed, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday said India wants peace but will respond appropriately if provoked. He said the sacrifice of the Indian soldiers will not go in vain.
# Foreign Ministers of India and China spoke for the first time after the clashes Monday night.
#The day began with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh sharing his thoughts publicly for the first time since the violent clashes. Singh mourned the loss of soldiers, and said the country will never forget their sacrifice.
#The series of meetings between the political and military leadership continued with Singh getting briefed about the ground situation by the military top brass once again.
# Congress president Sonia Gandhi posed several hard questions to the BJP government and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to tell the country how China was able to occupy Indian territory.
READ MORE HERE
Stating that the conscience of the nation has been "bruised", former president Pranab Mukherjee said it needs to be addressed satisfactorily by the entire political class through a bipartisan consensus. "The onus of achieving which lies mostly on the Government of India, by taking various stakeholders, including the Armed Forces on board. It is for the Government of the Day, to ensure that nothing but our National Interests are kept supreme," he said. The former president also offered his condolences on the supreme sacrifice made by the Army personnel.
A fresh round of talks Wednesday at the level of Major Generals after Monday’s violent faceoff between Indian and Chinese soldiers failed to break the deadlock between the two sides, with the meeting ending on an inconclusive note. This was the second meeting in two days between GOC 3 Division and his Chinese counterpart at PP14 on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Tuesday’s meeting had resulted in bringing down tensions in the area which had been running high following the violent faceoff which led to the death of 20 soldiers. Read more here
Family members and officials pay their last respects to Colonel Santosh Babu at the Hakimpet Air Force Station in Telangana. Babu, the Commanding Officer of 16 Bihar, was one of the 20 Army personnel killed in a clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan valley of Ladakh. Read more here
Our deputy editor Sushant Singh explains ?
As the two countries are still talking at military and diplomatic levels, any escalation into a major conflict looks some distance away at this moment.
But conflict situations have a dynamic of their own, and events can overtake the best laid plans. A military conflict, if it occurs, can be localised to one area, can be along the whole border, or can be in any one sector. But unless there is another provocation and crisis, the two sides should be able to resolve the situation peacefully.
That said, the government will place the armed forces on full alert, moving some of them forward for an early response in case of any eventuality.
Simultaneously, it will continue to use diplomatic channels to resolve the crisis, while controlling the domestic messaging to avoid inflaming public emotions that can create pressure on it to act strongly against China. The execution of that strategy will determine the course of the future action on China.
Our deputy editor Sushant Singh explains ?
There were hopes of an early disengagement and de-escalation after conciliatory statements from both countries in the past few days, after the meeting at the level of Corps Commander on June 6. There were meetings being held at the level of various other military commanders from June 10, which were to continue for 10 days, by when the disengagement process would have been decided and finalised.
But after this incident, that process is likely to take a back seat, and an early resolution now looks unlikely. China has reasserted its claim over Galwan Valley, and its army has made sharp statements alleging that Indian soldiers twice crossed the LAC.
The MEA too, has categorically stated that the Chinese had violated the LAC in the Galwan Valley region, which had led to the current situation. These allegations and counter-allegations, along with the heightened public sentiment on the deaths of so many soldiers, will test any process towards resolution. Read more here
Our deputy editor Sushant Singh explains ?
Yes, tensions have already been running high at various places on the Ladakh border where Indian and Chinese soldiers have been facing each other on the LAC since May. The latest incident has added to the tensions, but there have been no reports of any other clashes at the border. Read more here
Our deputy editor Sushant Singh explains ?
A meeting at the level of Major Generals of both armies took place at PP14 in the area on Tuesday, which continued until late in the evening. It brought the situation under control, and the Indian side was able to collect all the bodies. The Chinese were given permission to bring in helicopters to ferry their injured back. Read more here
Our deputy editor Sushant Singh explains ?
The official statements put out by the Army and the Ministry of External Affairs have no details of any deaths or injuries to Chinese soldiers, although the first statement by the Army on Tuesday was amended to say that there were casualties “on both sides”. The Chinese government or the PLA too, have not provided any details of soldiers killed or injured in the clash.
The only numbers that have come from are from the news agency ANI, which has quoted unnamed sources claiming that as per radio transmission intercepts, 43 Chinese soldiers were either killed or injured in the clash. Another report in usnews.com has cited “American intelligence” to say that 35 Chinese troops, including an officer, are believed to have died. Read more here
Our deputy editor Sushant Singh explains ?
Since the time tensions have erupted on the Ladakh border, there have been reports of some scuffles between the soldiers of both the armies. At Pangong Tso on the intervening night of May 5/6, there was a major scuffle between the soldiers in which more than 70 Indian soldiers were injured. In most of these scuffles, the Chinese have used bats, clubs, sticks and stones to cause major injuries.
In Monday’s clash, besides the use of these blunt objects to cause injuries, some soldiers, it has been learnt, could have been pushed into the fast-flowing Galwan river. Most of the deaths were due to injuries aggravated by the intense cold in the high-altitude area. Read more here
Our deputy editor Sushant Singh explains ?
No, this is as per the drill followed by both sides in the border areas to avoid inadvertent escalation by opening fire. This is in tune with the 1996 agreement between the two countries on Confidence Building Measures in the Military Field Along the Line of Actual Control in the India-China Border Areas, which imposed a lot of restrictions on military equipment, exercises, blasts, and aircraft in the vicinity of the LAC.
Our deputy editor Sushant Singh explains ?
Tensions had been running high in the area for the past few weeks, with a large number of soldiers and military equipment deployed along the LAC by both sides. Even though the LAC in Galwan Valley was never disputed by the two sides, the Chinese had moved into the Indian side of the LAC. After the meeting at the level of Corps Commanders on June 6, negotiations had been conducted between local military commanders of both the armies for a mutually agreed disengagement process.
As part of that process, a buffer zone had been agreed to be created between the LAC and the junction of the Shyok and Galwan rivers to avoid any faceoff between the two armies. The two armies were to move back by a kilometre each in that area as a first step.
When Colonel B Santosh Babu, who was monitoring this process, noticed that a Chinese camp was still existing in the area, he went to get it removed. This soon led to fisticuffs and blows being exchanged, resulting in deaths and injuries. Read more here
Our deputy editor Sushant Singh explains ?
Not really.
If such a large number of soldiers could be killed without firing a round, it means that these deaths were far more brutal than they would have been had guns and rifles been used. However, that it remained restricted to a physical brawl points to the fact that there was no escalation to a kinetic level — rifles, howitzers, rockets, missiles, and fighter jets. China and India are both nuclear powers, and any climbing up the escalation ladder is fraught.
But it could be a hope hanging by a slender thread if the history between the two sides is any precedent to go by. Even at Nathu La, before the military engagement escalated to artillery guns and threats of fighter jets, there was a scuffle between the soldiers of the two armies on the border. Read more here
It has been nearly 24 hours that news of the violent clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Ladakh broke. Our deputy editor Sushant Singh explains what happened at Galwan? How serious is the issue? and What happens from here?
Is the situation serious?
Yes, undoubtedly so. This is the first time after the 1962 War that soldiers have died in clashes on the India-China border in Ladakh. Even otherwise, the last deaths on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) were an ambush of an Assam Rifles patrol in Arunachal Pradesh by the Chinese in 1975. But the last real military engagement between the two armies was at Nathu La in Sikkim in 1967, in which 88 Indian soldiers lost their lives, and more than 300 Chinese soldiers were killed.
But all these incidents were prior to the two countries signing, starting from 1993, various agreements for maintaining peace and tranquility on the border.
Moreover, at least 20 soldiers including a Commanding Officer lost their lives on a single day in Galwan on Monday. To put that number in context, when 19 soldiers lost their lives in Uri in 2016, the Narendra Modi government launched surgical strikes across the Line of Control. Read more here
The Army offered its deepest condolences to the bereaved families of soldiers killed in the violent face-off with Chinese troops in the Galwan valley of Ladakh. "We stand in our resolve towards protecting the sovereignty and integrity of our country. Their sacrifices will not go in vain," the Army tweeted.
Offering his condolences to the fallen soldiers, President Ram Nath Kovind, tweeted, "As Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, I bow to the exemplary courage and supreme sacrifice of our soldiers to protect the sovereignty and integrity of the country." He said those who laid down their lives in Galwan valley have upheld the best traditions of the Indian armed forces. "Their valour will be eternally etched in the memory of the nation," he said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh and a government job for kin of each of the two soldiers from the state who died during clashes with the Chinese army at Galwan Valley. Rajesh Orang of Birbhum district and Bipul Roy of Alipurduar were among the 20 Indian Army personnel killed in the fierce clash on Monday night. "My heartfelt condolences to the families of the brave men martyred at #GalwanValley. I'm at pain to say that two of them belonged to West Bengal: Sepoy Rajesh Orang (Vill Belgoria, PS Md Bazar, Birbhum) & Bipul Roy on General Duty (Vill Bindipara, PS Samuktala, Alipurduar)," Banerjee tweeted.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday hit out at Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, asking why he insulted the Indian Army by not naming China in his tweet over the killing of 20 Indian soldiers in eastern Ladakh's Galwan Valley. He also asked the defence minister why it took him two days to condole the deaths and why did he continue to address poll rallies when the soldiers were being killed.
Reacting on the violent Galwan face-off, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said that China betrayed by attacking on the unarmed Indian soldiers and repeated 1962 in a way. “China has once again betrayed us by attacking our soldiers while we were having continuous peace dialogues. And the way our soldiers were attacked there, China has repeated 1962,” CM Rawat told reporters. “But the way our soldiers gave a befitting reply to China and sacrificed their lives, China should understand that this is India of 2020 not what it was in 1962. Indian army can face anyone. Now, China’ misconception should be cleared,” Rawat said.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi held a phone conversation this afternoon in the wake of recent developments in Ladakh. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, "EAM conveyed the protest of the Government of India in the strongest terms on the violent face-off in Galwan Valley on 15 June 2020."
In the statement, the MEA said Jaishankar recalled that at the meeting of senior military commanders held on June 6, an agreement was reached on de-escalation and disengagement along the LAC. "Ground commanders were meeting regularly to implement this consensus throughout the last week. While there was some progress, the Chinese side sought to erect a structure in Galwan valley on our side of the LAC. While this became a source of dispute, the Chinese side took pre-meditated and planned action that was directly responsible for the resulting violence and casualties. It reflected an intent to change the facts on ground in violation of all our agreements to not change the status quo," it said.
It further said the EAM underlined that this unprecedented development will have a serious impact on the bilateral relationship. "The need of the hour was for the Chinese side to reassess its actions and take corrective steps," the MEA said, adding that it was agreed the overall situation would be handled in a responsible manner, and both sides would implement the disengagement understanding of June 6 sincerely.
Posing several hard questions to the BJP government, Congress president Sonia Gandhi asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to tell the country how China was able to occupy Indian territory. In a video message, she said the Prime minister should disclose to the country the situation on the ground in the Galwan Valley. “The Prime Minister should come before the country and tell the nation the truth as to how China occupied Indian soil and why 20 Indian soldiers had to lay down their lives. What is the situation on the ground? Are our Army officers or soldiers still missing? How many of our Army officers and soldiers are seriously injured,” Gandhi asked. “What is the thinking, policy and solution of the Government to deal with the situation….We want to assure that the Congress party stands with the Army, soldiers and their families and the government in this hour of crisis. I am confident that in this challenging time the entire country will unite and face the enemy. I urge the Prime Minister to come before the nation at this time of crisis and reassure the country on the basis of truth and facts.”
Reacting on the Galwan face-off, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said, "The pain of losing our brave soldiers while protecting our motherland at Ladakh’s Galwan can not be put in words." He also said that the entire nation and the Narendra Modi-led government stands firmly with their families in this hour of grief.
During his virtual meeting with Chief Ministers on Covid-19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the sacrifices of soldiers along the border will not go in vain. This was his first reaction on the Army's violent faceoff with Chinese troops in the Galwan valley of Ladakh. "India wants peace but is capable of giving a befitting reply, if instigated," PM Modi said. PTI
The Indian Army has released the names of soldiers who were killed in Monday night's violent clashes with Chinese troops in the Galwan valley of Ladakh. The Army said there were casualties on both sides, although Beijing was silent on PLA losses. This is the first time in the last 45 years that Indian or Chinese troops have been killed on the Line of Actual Control.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday called for an all-party meeting at 5 pm on Friday, June 19 to discuss the situation along the India-China border. Presidents of various political parties are expected to take part in the virtual meeting.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweets: The loss of soldiers in Galwan is deeply disturbing and painful. Our soldiers displayed exemplary courage and valour in the line of duty and sacrificed their lives in the highest traditions of the Indian Army. The Nation will never forget their bravery and sacrifice. My heart goes out to the families of the fallen soldiers. The nation stand shoulder to shoulder with them in this difficult hour. We are proud of the bravery and courage of India’s breavehearts.
A special train that was to carry 1,600 migrant workers on their way to Leh from Dumka in Jharkhand for construction work of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) was cancelled on Tuesday, following tensions between India and China in the region, officials said. The train was cancelled keeping in view the safety of workers, Dumka Deputy Commissioner Rajeshwari B said.
The Indian Army’s first combat casualties in decades along the LAC with China in Ladakh have put the ruling BJP in a spot over making good its promise of muscular nationalism while controlling its jingoist reflexes, both of which have been the party’s calling card to differentiate itself from domestic political competition.
BJP leaders, who have been asked to avoid commenting on China and making provocative remarks, now project the standoff as the result of a display of India’s assertive stance on its borders since Narendra Modi came to power in 2014 and the recent spurt in India’s attempts to build border infrastructure infuriating China.
Colonel Bikkumalla Santosh Babu, who was from Telangana, was one of the 20 Army personnel killed in clashes with China. Commanding Officer, 16 Bihar, Santosh had been serving in Ladakh for one-and-a-half years. His mother told The Indian Express: “I am proud my son sacrificed his life for our country, but as a mother, I am devastated. He was the kind of person who wouldn’t think twice before putting his life in danger to save someone else’s. He was like that since childhood… It is yet to sink in that he is no more; that he won’t greet me with ‘Amma’ again in his booming voice.”
"We are closely monitoring the situation between Indian and Chinese forces along the Line of Actual Control. We note the Indian military has announced that 20 soldiers have died, and we offer our condolences to their families," a US State Department spokesperson was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. The spokesperson reportedly added: "During their phone call on June 2, 2020, President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had discussed the situation along the India-China border."
Clearly, much is being lost in translation even as Chinese adventurism breaches the understanding underlined in several meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping. New Delhi should activate all political lines of communication with Beijing, including the ones between the special representatives to the border negotiations and the foreign ministers, to make this point and take it forward. Read The Indian Express editorial 'An inflection point'
Demanding answers on the staff off, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi questioned why the prime minister was silent. "Why is the PM silent? Why is he hiding? Enough is enough. We need to know what has happened. How dare China kill our soldiers? How dare they take our land?" Yesterday Gandhi expressed condolences to the families of the army men who lost their lives. "Words cannot describe the pain I feel for the officers and men who sacrificed their lives for our country. My condolences to all their loved ones. We stand with you in this difficult time."
The deaths of 20 soldiers in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh, where Indian and Chinese forces are facing off, is the first such incident in 45 years. According to Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Congress leader in Lok Sabha, this escalation “underlines the scale of the problem and the challenge ahead” for New Delhi in its dealings with Beijing. Chowdhury argues in The Indian Express that “China has clearly twisted the crisis into a strategic opportunity by taking advantage of the geo-political distraction”.
The last military skirmish between India and China took place at Nathu La in September 1967. Before the skirmish escalated to artillery guns and threats of fighter jets, there was a scuffle between the soldiers of the two armies. The clash eventually left 88 Indian soldiers dead. More than 300 Chinese soldiers were killed. Read our explainer
AS New Delhi plans its next military and diplomatic steps to deal with the unprecedented LAC standoff with China which cost the lives of 20 Indian Armymen Monday, on its table will be a factor that could also weigh in: the rising appetite of Chinese investors in Indian technology start-ups over the last five years.
While China may not be a big investor in the traditional sense, and business relations are viewed more in terms of the trade deficit that India suffers, it is the new economy and start-up space where China has increased its influence.
Over 2015-19, Chinese investors including Alibaba, Tencent, TR Capital and Hillhouse Capital, have invested over $5.5 billion in Indian start-ups, according to Venture Intelligence that tracks private equity, venture capital, M&A transactions and valuations, in India.
The toll — biggest since 1967 border clash at the India-China border at Sikkim and the first combat casualties since 1975 — arising out of Monday night’s violence, officials said, strikes at the heart of every bilateral agreement and understanding to maintain peace and tranquility along the India-China border since 1993. It also throws up new challenges in the already fraught road to de-escalation after 40 days of border stand-off — the longest in the last three decades. READ HERE
Security personnel in two districts of Himachal Pradesh bordering China have been put on alert following a violent face-off between China and India in Galwan valley of Ladakh.
The Himachal Pradesh police has issued an alert and an advisory in the districts of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti, where security officials have been asked to take all precautionary measures to ensure security of the local population and also to collect intelligence to plan the future course of action, state police spokesperson SP Khushal Sharma said. All state intelligence units have also been alerted, he added.
(ENS)
UN chief Antonio Guterres has expressed concern over reports of violence and deaths at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China and urged both sides to exercise "maximum restraint," PTi reported his spokesperson as saying on Tuesday.
Eri Kaneko, Associate Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, made the comments at the daily press briefing. "We are concerned about reports of violence and deaths at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China and urge both sides to exercise maximum restraint. We take positive note of reports that the two countries have engaged to deescalate the situation," Kaneko said. (PTI)
The Indian Army officer killed in a violent clash with Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh on Monday night, Colonel Santosh Babu, fulfilled his father's personal dreams of serving the country and was expecting a posting to this city. The slain officer's father said while he could not live his dreams of serving the armed forces, his son did.
'I could not join the army and serve my country. So I wanted my son to join the defence forces and serve our country though my relatives discouraged the idea,' B Upender, father of the slain Colonel and a retired banker, said.
Expressing his heartfelt condolences over Babu's demise, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, in a statement, said the state government will stand by the bereaved family.
(PTI)
Hours after the Army said that a Colonel and two soldiers had died in Monday night's violent faceoff, it confirmed 17 more have succumbed "who were critically injured in the line of duty at the stand off location and exposed to sub-zero temp in the high altitude terrain""Indian and Chinese troops have disengaged at the Galwan area where they had earlier clashed on the night of 15/16 June 2020. 17 Indian troops who were critically injured in the line of duty at the stand off location and exposed to sub-zero temperatures in the high altitude terrain have succumbed to their injuries, taking the total that were killed in action to 20 Indian Army is firmly committed to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the nation," the Army statement said.
Calling the killing of one officer and two soldiers in a violent face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley last night, the Congress party said there can be no compromise with India’s security and territorial integrity. The party, in a statement, said, “Reports of Chinese Army moving thousands of troops in Galwan Valley and Pangong Tso Lake Area (Ladakh) shocked the entire nation as an audacious attempt on our territorial integrity.”
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her condolences to the three Indian soldiers killed in a violent face-off with the Chinese side in the Galwan Valley along the disputed India-China border.
"I salute the valour of the three Indian soldiers who were martyred at Galwan Valley while performing a supreme service for the nation. My heart goes out to the families of these brave men. May lord give them strength in this difficult time," she said.
MEA: "On the late-evening and night of 15th June, 2020 a violent face-off happened as a result of an attempt by the Chinese side to unilaterally change the status quo there.Both sides suffered casualties that could have been avoided had the agreement at the higher level been scrupulously followed by the Chinese side."
MEA on the violent face off on China border: "Given its responsible approach to border management, India is very clear that all its activities are always within the Indian side of the LAC. We expect the same of the Chinese side.We remain firmly convinced of the need for the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in border areas and the resolution of differences through dialogue. At the same time, we are also strongly committed to ensuring India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity."
India has released a statement on a violent face off in the Galwan Valley along the disputed India-China border on Monday night. The Ministry of External Affairs said: "India and China have been discussing through military and diplomatic channels the de-escalation of the situation in the border area in Eastern Ladakh. Senior Commanders had a productive meeting on 6th June 2020 and agreed on a process for such de-escalation. Subsequently, ground commanders had a series of meetings to implement the consensus reached at a higher level."
"It has historically been a difficult topic to address — the 1962 Indo-China War, India’s dubious record in terms of the origins of the conflict, and its disastrous performance during the war itself (the bravery of our unsupported, ill-equipped jawans notwithstanding). Addressed it must be, if only to prevent a similarly ostrich-in-the-sand mentality from taking over India’s perspective on the China question in the 21st century, more than 50 years since the two sides came to blows in the Himalayas.
Between Doklam, a few years ago, and the current volatility at the LAC with China, it is important to understand these situations as part of a broader picture about global politics, the reality of China’s capacities and broad spectrum tactical options, and India’s own strategic goals and capabilities and options," Sarjan Shah writes
Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Edappadi Palaniswami expressed his condolences for those who lost their lives in Ladakh. In a tweet today, the CM said, Palani from Kadakkalore (Ramanathapuram) martyred in Ladakh, my condolences to his family.
CPIM Tuesday asked the Centre to come out with an authoritative statement on what actually happened. It also asked both the Governments to immediately initiate high level talks to defuse the situation. "It is unfortunate that during the de-escalation process on the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, a clash has taken place at the Galwan Valley. This has taken place after the talks between the two sides at a high military-level began on June 6 to discuss the process of disengagement. Both the sides have reported casualties," a statement from the CPI (M) said.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor expressed shock and urged the Centre to handle the situation in a resolute manner. "Let's honour those who serve on our borders every day, risking their lives for our nation," he said on Twitter
Expressing anger over the violent faceoff at Ladakh’s Galwan Valley, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday called for a strong response from the Centre to the repeated incursions by the Chinese into Indian territory.
"It is time now for India to stand up to these repeated incursions that are a blatant violation of our territorial rights and put a stop to such attacks on our territorial integrity," Amarinder said. Captain Amarinder said the country could not afford to show weakness at this time and needed to take a strong stand to deter the Chinese from any further intrusions.
"The Chinese actions were in direction violation of all the treaties signed between the two countries and a brazen assault on Indian integrity," he said. Paying tributes to the soldiers who had lost their lives in the Galwan Valley violence, Captain Amarinder said the whole nation today stands with the Indian Army in their hour of grief.
The Congress on Tuesday termed as shocking and unacceptable the death of an Indian Army officer and two soldiers in the Galwan Valley and said the development was a matter of serious national concern. Congress also demanded that the government take the nation into confidence and convene a meeting to brief the leadership of political parties about the ground situation.
"It is a matter of serious national concern as it has grave implications for national security," Congress senior spokesperson and party's deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma said. "As we have been requesting, the government should urgently take the nation into confidence. We demand that the government immediately convene a meeting and brief the leadership of political parties about the ground situation," he said.
General VK Singh (retd) expressed his condolences after an officer and two soldiers lost their lives in a violent face off in the Galwan Valley. "Saddened by the news of the martyrdom of our boys in the Galwan Valley. I salute their indomitable courage, selflessness and sacrifice," the Union Minister tweeted.
The tensions on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between Indian security forces and China’s PLA have renewed the question of how New Delhi should deal with a rising, assertive Beijing. C Raja Mohan, director of the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore and contributing editor on international affairs for The Indian Express, and Vijay Gokhale, Former Foreign Secretary and India’s Ambassador to China, look at Beijing's attempts to reorder the Indo-Pacific as its zone of influence.
An analysis of high-resolution satellite images of the Pangong Tso area in Ladakh shows that not only have the Chinese changed the status quo at the Fingers, the mountain spurs along the lake, but also built “substantial” structures in the contested region of the Line of Actual Control.
The May 27 images by Planet Labs show dozens of new structures, most likely tents, that have come up between Finger 8 and Finger 4 on the north bank of Pangong Tso, one of the main points of contention in the current standoff. Read more here
The Line of Actual Control (LAC) mostly passes on the land, but Pangong Tso is a unique case where it passes through the water as well. The points in the water at which the Indian claim ends and Chinese claim begins are not agreed upon mutually. Read Sushant Singh's explainer on the importance of Pangong Tso