India thwarted another 'provocative' move by China in Ladakh: Army
Chinese forces violated previous agreements and indulged in a “provocative move” in Eastern Ladakh on Saturday night, but their attempts to change the status quo were thwarted, the Indian Army said on Monday.
The troops of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China tried to change the status quo on the south bank of Pangong Tso lake near the Line of Actual Control, but Indian forces preempted their move, the Army said.
“On the Night of 29/30 August 2020, PLA troops violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in Eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo,” the Army said in a statement.
“Indian troops preempted this PLA activity on the Southern Bank of Pangong Tso Lake, undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on ground,” it said, adding Brigade Commander-level Flag Meeting is in progress at Chushul to resolve the issues.
The tension comes amid the ongoing standoff between India and China on the northern bank of Pangong Tso along the LAC following the clashes in Galwan on June 15 that killed 20 Indian and many Chinese soldiers. The skirmish happened as India increased vigil after China increased construction activities near the border and also set up army camp.
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The two nations have not been able to resolve the tension despite holding several rounds of military and diplomatic talks.
India has been demanding the status quo ante of February, but China wants mutual disengagement — both sides pulling back. Although the two nations had agreed to a disengagement, China has refused to pull back its troops, forcing India to hold on to its forward positions.
In an interview last week, external affairs minister S Jaishankar had said that the current tension with China was the “most serious situation after 1962.
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