New Delhi (NVI): No Indian troops are missing in the violent clashes with the Chinese Army that took place Ladakh‘s Galwan Valley on Monday night, the Ministry of External Affairs said today in response to a question during a media briefing.
MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, “This has been clarified by the Army today afternoon that there are no Indian troops missing in action.”
Srivastava also reiterated that both sides are in regular touch with each other to solve the matter through diplomatic and military level talks.
“The two sides are in regular touch through their respective embassies and foreign offices. At the ground level the two sides have maintained communication at the commanders’ level. Meetings of other established diplomatic mechanisms such as Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on Border Affairs (WMCC) are under discussion,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Major-General level talks between the two sides continued for the third day today but the details of the meeting are yet to come.
During the media briefing today, the MEA spokesperson reiterated that it was the Chinese side that departed from the consensus to respect the LAC in the Galwan valley that was arrived on June 6 meeting between the top military commanders from both the sides.
“On the late evening and night of 15th June 2020, a violent face-off happened when the Chinese side unilaterally attempted to change the status quo there,” the External Affairs spokesman said while recalling the Monday night incident.
“They took premeditated and planned action that was directly responsible for the resulting violence and casualties suffered by both sides. This could have been avoided had the agreement at the higher level been scrupulously followed by the Chinese side,” he added.
Srivastava also mentioned the telephonic conversation between EAM S Jaisankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, where the Indian FM “conveyed that the need of the hour was for the Chinese side to reassess its actions and take corrective steps.”
Apart from that, the MEA spokesperson echoed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stand on the issue saying while India remains firmly convinced of the need for maintenance of peace and tranquility in the borders areas and the resolution of differences through dialogue. “At the same time, we are also strongly committed to ensuring India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.
20 Indian soldiers including the commanding officer of 16 Bihar regiment were killed in the violent face-off with China’s PLA on the intervening night of June 15 and 16.
