Srinagar: In a yet another move, China has demanded India to withdraw its armed forces personnel from China-India border in order to avoid escalation of tensions.
Reports quoting Senior Colonel Zhang Shuili, spokesman for the PLA Western Theater Command, said that Indian army “illegally” crossed the Line of Actual Control on Monday, a “provocative move” that violated the previous consensus.
However, the spokesman said that China now urges the Indian side to withdraw its armed forces personnel from the border.
The report added that amid the rising tensions, R K Mathur, Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, reached Delhi to brief the authorities about the latest face-off.
Quoting sources, the report said that Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi is holding continuous meetings with persons concerned to understand the situation and it was established during the discussions that India is prepared for any eventuality.
Earlier, as India said that fresh “provocative” military movements were made by Chinese army, China later reportedly built a surface-to-air missile near a lake, which is a part of the Kailash-Mansarovar.
On Monday Indian army informed that Chinese troops “carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo” near Pangong Tso lake in Ladakh, on Saturday night and they were blocked by the Indian armed forces personnel manning the area, the government said.
A Brigade Commander level Flag Meeting is in progress at Chushul to resolve the issues, as per the Government of India situation update.
The major flare-up, according to the reports, took place on the south bank of the Pangong Tso, which is of huge significance as no clashes have been reported here earlier.
Leh highway was also closed after fresh “provocative” military movements by Chinese troops in Ladakh, on August 31, 2020.
The statement added that Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity through dialogue, but is also equally determined to protect its territorial integrity.
In Ladakh China has established high speed connectivity, including the setting up of 5G network near Demchok and fresh constructions at the Pangong Lake.
As New Delhi claims that both India and China will “continue to sincerely work towards complete disengagement” of armed forces personnel, talks aimed at resolving the military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, has so far yielded no results.
The armies of India and China are locked in a tense standoff in eastern Ladakh, where China has reportedly occupied 60 sq. kilometres of territory claimed by India.
A Chinese diplomat reacting to the standoff in Ladakh has said that the move is linked to the Indian government’s unilateral decision to scrap Article 370 in August last year.
The move changed the laws that prohibited Indians from buying land in Kashmir, and made the constitution of Jammu and Kashmir defunct, triggering fears of demographic change in the Muslim majority region of Kashmir.
When India scrapped Jammu and Kashmir’s special status on August 5 last year, the Chinese foreign ministry had issued two statements criticising the development, including one that focused on the splitting of the state into union territories.
This statement, while urging India to be “cautious” on the border issue and to avoid “actions that further complicate the border issue”, said: “China has always opposed India’s inclusion of Chinese territory in India’s administrative jurisdiction in the western part of the Sino-Indian border.” This was a reference to the area in Ladakh that New Delhi claims but is controlled by Beijing.
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