New Delhi: A day after pictures of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) armed with rods, spears and machetes surfaced, India on Wednesday raised the issue with China during the commander level talks. This comes two days after Chinese troops tried to lock down Indian posts along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at Pangong Lake in Ladakh.
The pictures are first direct evidence of the use of such weapons by the Chinese army against Indian troops along the LAC. The September 7 "provocative" action by the Chinese forces saw them carrying "Guandao", a traditional Chinese Sword which is basically a blade mounted on a wooden or metal pole.
The talks lasted for four hours from 11 am to 3 pm but were without any outcome. During the talks "aggressive behaviour" by the Chinese forces was also raised, said a government source.
Both the nations held the first Brigade commanders since the September 7 incident when the Chinese Army PLA troops attempted to close-in on one of the Indian forward positions and shots were fired by them for the first time in 40 years.
According to sources, the Chinese indulged in provocative actions all throughout the day on September 8 in the areas around Rezang La, Mukhpari and continued till 6 pm. While no provocative action by the Chinese happened on Wednesday, PLA troops continue to remain in the same general area.
The Chinese Army had claimed in a midnight statement on September 7 that Indian side had fired shots which was strongly rebutted by the Indian Army in a statement on September 8. The Army said, "PLA troops fired a few rounds in the air" and "despite the grave provocation, own troops exercised great restraint and behaved in a mature and responsible manner".
The incident happened around the height of Rezang La at LAC and according to sources around 40 PLA soldiers attempted to close in on an Indian position in eastern Ladakh on September 7. The use of firearms along the LAC marks a serious escalation in border tensions, as the previous instance of shots being fired at the de-facto border was in 1975.
The pictures clearly indicate that the Chinese Army intended a skirmish similar to June 15 in which both sides suffered casualties. While at least 20 Indian jawans were killed in the violent clash, it is believed that 35-50 Chinese troops were also killed in the incident.
Meanwhile, a build-up is being seen by the Chinese troops in the Chushul sector at the LAC in Ladakh. The govt source said, "Chinese are trying to psychologically play things up."
September 10 will be an important day as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is expected to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers meet in Russia's capital Moscow. The will be the first in-person meeting between the two foreign ministers in the four-month-long standoff.
