Gen Manoj Pande during the Army chief’s annual news conference in New Delhi, on January 12, 2023.
New Delhi: The Indian Army chief, General Manoj Pande, said the situation along the line of actual control with China is stable but remains unpredictable while the ceasefire agreed between India and Pakistan, in February 2021, along the line of control is holding well. Gen Pande said this during the Army chief’s traditional annual news conference in New Delhi, on Thursday.
The Army chief also said there has been a slight increase in the number of Chinese troops in the eastern sector but assured the country that the force is monitoring the situation. He said, “There is a slight increase in the number of troops on the adversary side in the eastern sector. We are constantly monitoring the developments there.”
He said soldiers deployed along the LAC in the eastern sector have been able to prevent any attempts by the adversary to unilaterally change the status quo in a robust manner.
Read also: Indian, Chinese troops clash again at LAC in Arunachal
It may be noted that Indian and Chinese troops clashed at a point near the LAC at the Yangtse area in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh.
On the ongoing border stand-off with China in eastern Ladakh, in the northern sector, Gen Pande said both sides have been able to resolve five of the seven issues that were on the table. He added that India is trying to resolve the remaining issues through military- and diplomatic-level talks.
Speaking on the situation along the line of control with Pakistan, the Army chief said that the ceasefire agreement, which was agreed upon in February 2021, is holding well. Nonetheless, he expressed concern over Pakistan’s continued support to cross-border terrorism and terror infrastructure. He, however, said, “Our counterinfiltration grid is strong and effective enough to deal with them.”
On the insurgency situation in the northeast, Gen Pande said, “In the northeast, peace has returned to most of the states. The economic activities have yielded good returns.”
Read more: Army moves to induct women officers in its artillery regiments
The Army chief also expressed hope that the government will accept the Army’s proposal to induct women officers in its artillery regiments. If the proposal gets the government’s green signal, this will be the first time when women in the Indian Army will get deployed in a combat role.
