LEH: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was briefed about the security situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in Eastern Ladakh on Sunday by the senior officials of Army’s Northern Command. Singh, who is currently in Leh for a three-day visit to Ladakh, also met elected representatives of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDC), Kargil.
Earlier in the day, the Defence Minister met Army veterans in Leh. Addressing them on the first of his three-day trip, the Defence Minister said, “Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi fulfilled the commitment given to the Armed Forces veterans by providing for one rank one pension.” During his visit, Singh is scheduled to inaugurate infrastructural projects constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), and will also interact with troops deployed in the region. Meanwhile, earlier this week, India and China had decided to maintain “stability on the ground and prevent any untoward incident” in the border area in eastern Ladakh at the 22nd meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) held on Friday.
At the meeting, held after a gap of over three months, the two sides had agreed to maintain dialogue to reach a “mutually acceptable solution” for complete disengagement from all friction points. The two sides had a frank exchange of views on the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The 21st meeting of the WMCC was held on March 12.
India and China have been engaged in a military standoff at multiple friction points in eastern Ladakh since early May last year. However, the two sides completed the withdrawal of troops and weapons from the North and South banks of Pangong lake in February following a series of military and diplomatic talks.
