"I would like to assure the nation that the sacrifice of our jawans will not be in vain," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi a day after 20 Indian Army jawans were killed in a violent faceoff with the Chinese PLA on Monday.
"For us, the unity and sovereignty of the country is the most important...India wants peace but it is capable to give a befitting reply if instigated, the Prime Minister added.
Twenty Indian Army personnel including a colonel were killed in the clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on Monday night, the biggest military confrontation in over five decades that has significantly escalated the already volatile border standoff between the two.
A large number of Indian and Chinese troops had previously engaged in an eyeball-to-eyeball situation in Galwan Valley of eastern Ladakh over the last five weeks. Senior military officials of the two sides are currently meeting at the venue to defuse the situation, Army sources added.
Modi has convened an all-party virtual meet on June 19 to discuss the situation on the India-China border, his office said on Wednesday.
How the standoff unfolded:
May 5-6: Indian and Chinese armies clashed near the Pangong Lake in Eastern Ladakh. It was first such incident this year.
May 9: Another clash took place between the two troops — this time at Naku La in North Sikkim. Stones and batons were used. India and China moved additional troops along the LAC.
May 12: Chinese choppers were reportedly seen flying close to LAC. The IAF dispatched Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter aircraft to carry out sorties along the border.
May 23: Army Chief General Manoj Naravane visited the headquarters of 14 Corps in Ladakh.
May 26: Amid tension, PM Narendra Modi held a meeting with NSA Ajit Doval, CDS General Bipin Rawat and the three service chiefs.
May 28: Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered the PLA to broaden the battle preparedness, considering the worst-case scenarios.
June 2: Indian and Chinese Major General-rank officers held discussions on the controversial issues. The meeting, however, reportedly remained "inconclusive".
June 8: Amid military-level deliberations between India and China, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a review discussion with Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and three service chiefs.
June 12: Major General-level meeting held to resolve trouble areas in the Galwan Valley.
June 13: Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane said the entire situation along the LAC was under control.
June 15: A Colonel and two jawans of the Indian Army were killed during a violent clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley while 17 other army men injured in the clashes succumbed later. News agency ANI reported Army sources as saying there were 43 casualties on the Chinese side as well.
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