New Delhi: A day after he took over as the new Chief of Army Staff, General Manoj Pande Sunday made it clear that the Army will not allow any loss of territory in Eastern Ladakh even as he said that the force had adequately responded to the Chinese efforts to change the status quo by force on the Line of Actual Control in the region.
The new Indian Army chief said the situation at the LAC is normal at the moment where "unilateral and provocative actions by our adversary to change the status quo by force had been adequately dealt with". Army chief General Pande said that in the last two years "we have carried out a threat assessment and realigned and reoriented our forces". "As far as the LAC situation is concerned, our troops are present in a very firm and resolute manner ensuring that there is no change in the status quo," he said.
The new Army chief said that Indian Army troops are "holding important physical positions and in all this, we are very clear that we will not permit any change in status quo and any loss of territory". General Pande said that "our focus has also been infrastructure development, especially habitat to match the operational and logistics requirement". "In the end, our aim is to reduce the tension along the LAC and restoration of status quo as it was earlier," he said.
India and China have been engaged in a military standoff situation for the last two years after Chinese aggression in Eastern Ladakh after which both sides have deployed troops opposite each other all along the border. General Pande suggested the narco-terror nexus was being pushed by country's western adversary through dropping of drugs and weapons in Jammu and Kashmir and other states but the force was ready to answer these threats in a resolute manner.
"As far as the situation with Pakistan is concerned, the DGMOs arrived at an understanding a year ago that helped us in improving the situation for the civilian population at the ground level on both sides of the LoC," he said. "However, I must admit that in terms of reduction in terrorist infrastructure and terrorist training camps, neither is there any evidence nor are there any signs of that happening," Army Chief General Manoj Pande said on Pakistan issue.
The new Indian Army chief said, "On the contrary, we find that the number of terrorists operating has increased. Whilst on the LoC, the infiltration and violence levels have gone down, in the hinterland, there is no indication to that effect." "Significantly, due to the success of our counter infiltration grid, from the other side, there is exploitation of the narco-terror nexus. In this nexus, you see cases of smuggling contraband items and weapons which is happening across the border in both Jammu Kashmir and further south," he said.
The Army chief asserted, "We are clear that if we see any act of terror or any hybrid threat in terms of infiltration, radicalisation through social media, then we are resolute to counter these threats and we are sure that we will succeed." General Manoj Pande on Saturday took charge as India's 29th Chief of Army Staff.
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