Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday informed the Rajya Sabha that "sustained talks" with China had resulted in the two countries agreeing to disengagement of forces on the north and south banks of Pangong Tso Lake.
Rajnath was quoted by ANI as saying, "After this agreement, India, China will remove forward deployments in a phased, coordinated manner."
Rajnath noted, "Both sides agree that complete disengagement under bilateral agreements and protocol should be done at the earliest. China is also aware of our resolve to protect the sovereignty of the country. It is expected that China will work with us to resolve the remaining issues."
Rajnath told the Rajya Sabha India had informed China it wanted a resolution of the dispute based on three principles. “First, both parties must agree on LAC and respect it. Second, there shouldn't be an attempt to change the status unilaterally by any party. Third, all the compromises should be completely agreed upon by both parties,” Rajnath was quoted as saying by ANI.
Rajnath told the Rajya Sabha India was committed to maintaining a peaceful situation on the border. "India has always emphasised on maintaining bilateral ties," Rajnath said. Rajnath emphasised "Our security forces have proved that they are ready to face any challenge to protect the sovereignty of the country."
Rajnath referred to the build-up of forces by China in 2020 in the Ladakh region and India's response to it. "Many friction areas emerged near LAC in Eastern Ladakh. China amassed heavy forces and arms and ammunition near LAC and in the nearby area on their side. Our forces have also done adequate and effectively counter-deployment," Rajnath was quoted as saying by ANI.
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Rajnath said the Indian government's "strategy" for talks with China was based on the directive of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that "we will not let anyone take one inch of our land. The result of our determination is that we have reached the position of agreement."
