No de-escalation without complete disengagement at all friction points: Army Chief Naravane on Ladakh standoff with China

In a clear message to China, Army Chief Gen MM Naravane on Friday said there can be no de-escalation without complete disengagement at all friction points in eastern Ladakh, and that the Indian Army is prepared for all contingencies in the region.

In a clear and unambiguous message to China, Army Chief Gen MM Naravane on Friday said there can be no de-escalation without complete disengagement at all friction points in eastern Ladakh, and that the Indian Army is prepared for all contingencies in the region. In an exclusive interview to PTI, Gen Naravane said India is dealing with China in a "firm" and "non-escalatory" manner to ensure the sanctity of its claims in eastern Ladakh, and that it was even open to initiating confidence-building measures. It has been more than a year since the military standoff between the two sides erupted in eastern Ladakh on May 5, 2020, during which there were fatalities on both sides for the first time in 45 years. They have made limited progress in achieving disengagement at the Pangong lake area while negotiations for similar steps at other friction points remained deadlocked.