New Delhi (NVI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today said that China does not accept the customary and traditional alignment of the boundary with India and its recent actions reflect an utter disregard of the various bilateral agreements between the two countries.
He said India will no more tolerate any Chinese misadventures at the LAC and will not step back from taking any harsh decision since Indian troops are in a better position to retaliate, this time.
“The amassing of the troops by China goes against the 1993 and 1996 Agreements. Respecting and strictly observing the Line of Actual Control is the basis for peace and tranquility in the border areas and explicitly recognized in both 1993 and 1996 agreements. While our Armed Forces abide scrupulously by it, this has not been reciprocated by the Chinese side,” he said.
While responding to questions on the Chinese not allowing Indian soldiers to patrol on traditional posts, Rajnath said this is the reason for India’s fight with China. He was responding to a question by AK Antony who was Defence Minister in the previous Congress government.
Antony had commented on Indian troops being pushed back from traditional patrolling points in Ladakh.
Apart from that, Singh said that no power on earth can stop the Indian troops from patrolling Ladakh border at Line of Actual Control (LAC). He was replying to clarifications sought by Rajya Sabha MPs on his statement on border row with China.
The Defence Minister said that the skirmishes at LAC have been primarily over the issue of patrolling on Ladakh border. “No force in the world can stop Indian soldiers from patrolling. Our soldiers have sacrificed their lives only for this,” he said.
Rajnath’s statement retained elements of what he spoke on the issue in Lok Sabha two days ago, except for some crucial points.
He said that even though the situation this year is very different both in terms of scale of troops involved and the number of friction points, India remains committed to a peaceful resolution.
“Starting a war is in our hands but the end is not in our hands. I am astonished at times that peace is compromised. I want to tell our 130 crore countrymen that we will not let the country down. Neither will we bow before anyone, nor is it our intention to make anyone bow before us,” he said.
He also said that there is a mismatch between what China says and does while referring to the August 29 and 30 attempts by Chinese PLA to change the status quo at the southern bank of Pangong Tso lake in Ladakh.
-ARK
