In a clear warning to China, Army Chief General M M Naravane on Saturday said here the force will not allow any unilateral attempt to change the status quo on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). He also said dialogue is on between the two countries to resolve the tension at the border in Ladakh for the last two years.
Conveying this while addressing the troops on the occasion of the Army Day, Naravane said the Indian Army's message is clear that it will not let any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo along the country's borders succeed.
He also said last year was extremely challenging for the Army due to ongoing stand-offs at the friction points in Eastern Ladakh. The
Army Day is observed on January 15 to mark Field Marshall K M Cariappa taking over as the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army, replacing his British predecessor in 1949.
Referring to the eastern Ladakh standoff, Naravane said to keep the situation under control, the 14th round military-level talks were held between India and China recently. He said joint efforts at various levels have led to disengagement in many areas which in itself is a constructive step.
The Chief said on the basis of mutual and equal security, efforts would continue to find a solution to the current situation. He assured that the morale of the soldiers deployed on snow-capped mountains for the country's security was sky-high.
"Our patience is a sign of our self-confidence, but no one should
make the mistake of testing it. Our message is clear, the Indian Army won't let any attempt to unilaterally change status quo along country's borders to succeed," Naravane said.
As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process last year in the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area.
However, disengagement process is yet to be done in areas of Hot Springs, Depsang bulge and Demchok. Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC there. The Chief had described the situation the LAC as stable while interacting with the media two days back.
On the situation on the Line of Control (LOC) in Jammu and Kashmir facing Pakistan, the Chief said the situation is better than the previous year but Pakistan is still harbouring terrorists.
Nearly 300-400 terrorists in training camps across the border are waiting to intrude into India, he said, adding a total of 194 terrorists were killed in counter-operations in the last one year. "Attempts to smuggle arms across the border through drones continue," Naravane said.
In the interior areas of Jammu and Kashmir, there has been progressive improvement during the last two years, he noted. Therefore, terrorist organisations across the border have been trying to create hurdles on the path of the development and they have increased their attempts, the Army chief stated. "It is a part of their conspiracy to target non-locals and poor labourers," he added.
The security situation in the Northeast has improved significantly in the last one year due to proactive military operations, he mentioned. Because of these operations, most of the terrorist organisations in the Northeast have announced ceasefire, he said.
Naravane said the plan to creating joint theatre commands with the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force is moving ahead in a time-bound manner.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the Indian Army will remain central to securing the national interests as India grows in stature and strength. He said the Indian Army inspires confidence among the citizenry as it resolutely maintains an unflinching vigil across the frontiers of the nation.