Indian Army chief Gen. Manoj Pande on Thursday described the situation on the border with China, which has seen several clashes in recent years, as «stable» but «unpredictable».
«The situation on the northern borders, though unpredictable, is stable and under control,» Pande said at a press conference on the occasion of Army Day, to be celebrated on January 15.
He pointed out that the Indian Army is «prepared for anything» in the face of a possible increase in violence and pointed out that the authorities of the two countries «continue to hold military and diplomatic talks to resolve their disputes».
«We have been able to resolve five of the seven issues on the table (…) We have sufficient reserves to deal with any kind of contingency», he said, according to information from the newspaper ‘The Times of India’.
Pande warned that, «although there are parameters that point to a decrease in violence, we must remain alert» and asserted that «any change in the ‘status quo’ in the area must be avoided».
Last December 9, Indian and Chinese military clashed at the ‘de facto’ border separating them in Tawang, in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.
The tensions involve mountainous territory in the northern Kashmir region, as well as some 60,000 square kilometers in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. The Line of Actual Control, which replaces the border between the two countries in that region, passes through Ladaj, which was the scene of an open war between the parties in 1962.
India disputes China’s control over 38,000 square kilometers of land in Aksai Chin, which it claims is part of Ladaj. Beijing in turn claims 90,000 square kilometers of territory in Arunachal Pradesh, which it considers part of southern Tibet.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
