China intends to keep alive boundary issue: Army Chief Gen Pande

Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande said the Indian Army’s aim is to re-establish the “trust and tranquillity” between the two sides but asserted that “it cannot be a one-way affair.”

Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande on Monday said China’s intention has been to keep “alive” the boundary question with India though it remains the “basic” issue between the two countries even as he asserted that the Army’s aim was to restore the status quo ante prior to April 2020 in eastern Ladakh.

Gen Pande also said that Indian troops are adequately deployed along the Line of Actual Control to deal with any situation and that guidance has been given to them to “remain firm and resolute” in their tasks.

While referring to the eastern Ladakh border standoff, the Army chief said the Indian Army’s aim is to re-establish the “trust and tranquillity” between the two sides but asserted that “it cannot be a one-way affair.” “The basic issue remains the resolution of the border. What we see is that China’s intent has been to keep the boundary issue alive,” he said about the overall boundary question between the two countries.

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“What we need as a country is a ‘whole of nation’ approach and in the military domain, this is to prevent and counter any attempt to alter the status quo at the LAC,” he told a select group of journalists.

The comments by Gen Pande, who took charge as the Army chief on April 30, came as the lingering border standoff in eastern Ladakh completed two years on May 4.

“We have a robust posture and adequate forces available to deal with any situation,” he said while listing the Army’s decision to “rebalance” and “reorient” along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the last two years.