Army Chief in Ladakh days after India thwarts attack by Chinese troops

Amid heightened border tensions with China, Army Chief General MM Naravane arrived in Ladakh on Thursday (September 3) morning to take stock of operational issues and the ground situation.

The south Pangong situation in eastern Ladakh has been described as “very dynamic” by military sources, though the Indian Army is said to have occupied advantageous positions all along the southern part of the 134km Pangong lake.

Indian troops have also consolidated their position on ridge lines in the fingers or spurs on the north bank.

The Army Chief is on a two-day visit to the region, India Today reported. Top commanders will brief General Naravane on the ground situation in eastern Ladakh, said sources.

Over the last weekend, the Indian Army foiled China’s “provocative” actions to change the status quo in the area, government sources said. The south of Pangong Tso area, which has been witnessing simmering tensions, is currently dominated by the Indian Army.

In the last few days, the Chinese army had made multiple attempts to change the status quo in the southern area of Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh. But, all these attempts were foiled by the alert Indian troops.

Earlier, the army of India and China held Brigade Commander-level talks in Chushul with a focus on bringing down tensions in the Pangong lake area, sources said, adding a similar dialogue on Monday and Tuesday, each lasting over six hours, did not yield any “tangible outcome”.

There are reports that the Indian Army formations have been put on high alert all along the Ladakh-Arunachal border running up to more than 3,400 km.

Related news: India thwarted another ‘provocative’ move by China in Ladakh: Army

Reports said the latest Indian action by its elite Special Frontier Force personnel has angered China to an extent that its PLA troops are now demanding a push-back of Indian troops.

A media report said on Thursday that Indian Army has changed its posture from border management to securing the border on the 1,597 km LAC in Ladakh after People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) aggression in the Chushul sector followed by additional induction of troops and support elements.

The PLA Air Force activity has gone up in the occupied Aksai Chin area with positions being militarily strengthened.

“The Indian Army is now in a secure border mode to pre-empt any Chinese PLA transgressions in vulnerable areas of Ladakh. The repositioning of Indian forces has been done to take the Chinese aggression into account in the area and to ensure that all positions are defended,” said a senior official.