Rajnath Singh visits Leh to review situation along LAC, LoC; Read More

Leh, July 17: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Leh on Friday morning to take stock of the security situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) amid the ongoing tension with China. Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane are accompanying him on the visit.

 

 

The minister is on a two-day visit to Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir. While he is in Ladakh on the first day of his visit today, the second day he will go to Jammu and Kashmir. According to the reports, the minister has visited Stakna forward areas after landing in Ladakh where the troops showed him paradropping skills of the armed forces.

 

"Singh is likely to visit Atal Tunnel, previously known as Rohtang Tunnel, named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. This is a highway tunnel being built under the Rohtang Pass in the eastern Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas on the Leh-Manali Highway. At 8.8 km length, the tunnel will be one of the longest road tunnels in the country and is expected to reduce the distance between Manali and Keylong by about 46 kilometres. Strategically important Manali-Leh highway is used by the Army to transport essential material to the soldiers deployed in the border areas of Ladakh," a statement read.

 

His visit comes at a time amid the heightened tension going on between India and China in the eastern Ladakh. Both the countries have held talks over to reduce tensions along the border. On Tuesday, they held the fourth round of talks on disengagement in Chushul on the Indian side. The talks headed by the corps commanders of the Indian and Chinese armies, that started on Tuesday and stretched into the early hours of Wednesday, both sides discussed the complete disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

 

The talks were focussed to ease out tensions in the Finger Area near Pangong Tso and Depsang plains as well as moving back weapons and equipment from friction points in other sectors. The meetings come after the brutal face-off occurred in Galwan Valley along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in which 20 Indian soldiers were martyred. The first two meetings took place at Moldo on the Chinese side on June 6 and June 22 while the third meeting was at Chushul. The last two meets lasted over 12 hours each to turn down the rising tensions along the LAC and the third one took place on June 30 to discuss the first phase of disengagement

 

The Defence Minister was expected to visit Ladakh in early July but his visit was postponed. He is visiting Leh after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited to the sector on July 3. The PM then declared that the “era of expansionism” is over, sending a strong signal to China about India’s determination to defend its borders.

 

Meanwhile, Pakistan is continuously in ceasefire violations. As earlier reported, Pakistani forces, till now, have carried out as 2,542 unprovoked ceasefire violations till June 30. Though these concerns are being shared, the Pakistan forces have not ceased such activities. India is strongly protesting, through diplomatic channels, against the continued unprovoked ceasefire violations by Pakistan forces along the Line of Control and the International Boundary which has killed over 14 Indians, wounded 88 in 2020 so far, sources said last week.