Degree of standoff continues along LAC, says Army chief

Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Monday said a "degree of standoff" remains along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in the sensitive Ladakh sector following developments that took place after the border row erupted in April 2020, and the two sides must reach a broader understanding on how to calm the situation down and restore the trust, describing the situation as "stable but sensitive."

- Rahul Singh

NEW DELHI:

He ruled out any plans to cut troop levels along the disputed mountain frontier during the current winter.

"As far as the standoff is concerned, we have to see what all has changed after April 2020. Both sides have doctored the terrain (through deployments and construction), carried out billeting construction and there has been stocking and deployment. This means there is a degree of standoff," Dwivedi said at his annual media briefing ahead of the upcoming Army Day.

Dwivedi's comments, in response to a question on the situation along the LAC, came two-and-a-half months after the Indian Army and the Chinese PLA resumed their patrolling activities in Depsang and Demchok in Ladakh after a gap of almost four-and-a-half years.

The disengagement in the two areas began on October 23, 2024, two days after India and China announced a breakthrough in negotiations to resolve their standoff in Depsang and Demchok, the last two flashpoints in Ladakh where the two armies were eyeball-to-eyeball since April 2020.

The trust between the two countries must have a new definition after the changed scenario on both sides of the LAC following the developments that took place after April 2020, the army chief said.

"There is a requirement for us to sit together and come to a broader understanding on how we want to kind of calm the situation down and restore the trust. So, we are now looking forward to the next meeting of the Special Representatives on the border issue and the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China border affairs, and we will move forward based on their guidance...India has adequate strategic patience," Dwivedi said.