Amid simmering tension between India and China at Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat has said that a military option to deal with transgressions by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in Ladakh is on the cards but Indian armed forces will exercise this option only after the failure of talks at military and diplomatic levels.
"The military option to deal with transgressions by the Chinese Army in Ladakh is on but it will be exercised only if talks at the military and the diplomatic level fail," CDS General Rawat told ANI.
It is to be noted that CDS Rawat was Indian Army chief during the 73-day military standoff against the PLA in Doklam in 2017. CDS Rawat added that Indian armed forces are fully prepared to tackle any threat from China and there is no lack of coordination among the principal intelligence agencies.
Meanwhile, China has proposed that if the Indian Army steps back from the Finger 4 area of Pangong lake, then the Chinese troops will also step back the same distance.
India has rejected this proposal and has demanded that China restore status quo in all areas of eastern Ladakh on the border.
In April, the PLA troops reached Tibet on the pretext of conducting exercises but it violated the agreement reached between the two countries to maintain peace at LAC and built several infrastructures in many places. Apart from troops, tanks, aircraft and other weapons were also deployed in those areas. Since then, the Indian Army and Air Force troops have been stationed at LAC for the past three months.
According to sources, China has said that it is ready for disengagement in Finger 4 area of Pangong lake but India will have to remove its Army and weapons from this area. In return, China said they will also remove an equal amount of soldiers and weapons back from the area. India has completely rejected China's proposal and asked it to go to the old position behind Finger 8.
