NEW DELHI: Chief of Indian Army’s Northern Command on Monday visited the forward areas of the eastern Ladakh which are in contiguity with the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. This visit is within a week of face-off of the Indian Army soldiers with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Soldiers.
The Northern Army Command in its release said, “Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief visited forward locations in Eastern Ladakh today. He was briefed on the operational situation and readiness being maintained in the sector.”
Indian and Chinese army troops were involved in a face-off in Ladakh on Wednesday morning while an Indian Army patrol was moving in the northern bank of Pangong Tso, lake when Chinese troops objected to their presence. But the Indian Armymen stood their ground as they were within India’s territory. The troops disengaged by evening that day after a delegation-level talk was held. The sources attributed the face-off due to the difference in perception of the position of the LAC.
“Lt Gen Ranbir Singh interacted with the troops deployed at the forward locations and complimented them for their tenacity and dedication to duty in extreme terrain and in conditions of adversity. The Commander urged them to continue to uphold the highest standards of professionalism of the Indian Army.” read the official release.
India shares 3488 Km of the border with China of which 1595 km runs along the State of Jammu and Kashmir. The differing perceptions related to the position of LAC have often been the reason for incidents between the two.
During the trip, the GOC-in-C interacted with members of the 15th Finance Commission which also was on a visit to Eastern Ladakh. The 15th Finance Commission, under the Chairmanship of former bureaucrat NK Singh is on a visit to field formations in Northern Command, to gain first-hand knowledge about the challenges faced by the Indian Army in discharging their duties under extreme terrain and altitude conditions. Amongst its many charters, the Finance Commission is also mandated to take stock of the requirements of the Armed Forces and assess the financial outlay required to meet the operational needs in terms of roads, infrastructure, weapons and equipment. Lt Gen Ranbir Singh apprised the members about the unique challenges faced by the forces in the Ladakh Sector.
Later in the day, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh had a meeting with prominent members of the civil society of Ladakh including Prof P Stobdan, ex-Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan and Mr C Phonsog, first Vice-Chancellor of Ladakh University.