The Army is maintaining high operational readiness to thwart any “unusual activity” by China all along the northern borders, General M M Naravane said, while rejecting concerns that India had squandered its leverage by vacating the Kailash range heights without extracting any concession on Depsang Plains in eastern Ladakh.
The Army chief said the Rezang La-Rechin La heights in the Kailash range were vacated as part of the troop disengagement plan on both sides of Pangong Tso in February after “analysing all military implications and the ground situation. There is no question of India having come under any pressure or having compromised,” Gen Naravane said. Diplomatic and military negotiations are in progress for resolution of face-offs at sites like Hot Springs, Gogra and the strategically-located Depsang Plains.
“Negotiations are being conducted for resolution of other friction points in a firm but non-escalatory manner. Negotiations do take time. We will resolve them by and by,” he said. India has made its position very clear to China that “both sides should restore the status quo ante as prevailing on or before April 2020”, he added.
With the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) digging in its heels to even complete the stalled disengagement at patrolling points (PPs) 15, 17 and 17A in the Hot Springs-Gogra-Kongka La area, Gen Naravane acknowledged troop de-induction and the consequent deescalation along the frontier would take some time.
The PLA also continues to block Indian patrols from going to their traditional PPs-10, 11, 11A, 12, and 13 in Depsang, which are well short of India’s perception of the Line of Actual Control in the region. “Depsang Bulge is a legacy issue where the differing perception and obstruction to patrolling has been there for some time. The issue needs to be amicably resolved at the earliest,” Gen Naravane said. The Army is maintaining a force level of around 50,000-60,000 soldiers in forward areas to take care of all contingencies.
