Army Chief Presides Over Commanders' Conference | Border Stand-Off With China Likely To Feature

Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane is presiding over the commanders conference which began on Wednesday. The stand-off with China in Eastern Ladakh is likely to be among the points of the agenda to be discussed along with other security issues.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had chaired a high-level meeting on Tuesday with National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat to review the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had also reviewed the situation in the Ladakh sector of the LAC on Tuesday during a meeting with General Rawat and the three service chiefs.

Meanwhile, the military stand-off between India and China in Eastern Ladakh and Naku La in Sikkim shows no signs of easing as it enters the fourth week. China has over the years refused to accept the McMahon line as the official border. China goes a step further and claims the entire Indian North Eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh as a part of its territory.

In recent years there have been some skirmishes between Chinese and Indian troops, the most serious of which was in Doklam near Bhutan in 2017.

It was widely reported that on May 5, there were fist fights and stone pelting near Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh, between soldiers of both sides leaving personnel injured among Chinese and Indian troops. A few days later, on May 9, Indian and Chinese soldiers came to blows at the Naku La pass in Sikkim along the LAC.

In eastern Ladakh, Chinese have reportedly objected to India building a road in the region and have built bunkers. India had complained that Chinese soldiers were objecting to normal patrolling patterns in the region.

Earlier India had also built a high altitude bridge in the area.

Indian and China have increased troop presence in the region. However, government sources have told media outlets that an amicable solution would be found soon.