New Delhi: Keeping up his tough posture, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat on September 3 said that while India wants peace and tranquillity across the borders, the Indian Armed Forces are capable of handling Chinese aggression along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). “Of late, we have been seeing some aggressive actions by China but we are capable of handling these. Our tri-services are capable of dealing with threats along our frontiers,” Gen Rawat said.
Justifying the Indian actions against Chinese aggression along Pangong Tso, Gen Rawat said that India’s policy of engagement, if not backed by credible military power and regional influence, would imply acknowledging China’s preeminence.
Reiterating India’s stated position that Pakistan has been launching a proxy war, sponsoring and equipping terrorists from its soil to create trouble in Jammu and Kashmir, the CDS said that Pakistan could take advantage of any threat developing along northern borders and create trouble for India.
However, the western neighbour will suffer heavy losses if it attempts any misadventure against India as adequate precautions have been taken to deal with it, he said, adding that the country faces most complex threats and challenges spanning the full spectrum of conflict, from nuclear to sub-conventional.
His comments come in the backdrop of ongoing escalations along the heights south of Pangong Tso. While India has maintained its stand that China has been trying to unilaterally alter the situation on ground zero, the political and diplomatic leadership in the country has vehemently stressed that dialogue is the way forward in tackling the situation along the borders.
“The way ahead is military and diplomatic negotiations. We are firmly committed to resolving all issues through peaceful dialogue, and strongly urge China to sincerely engage with the objective of expeditiously restoring peace in border areas through complete disengagement and de-escalation,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said during a virtual briefing.
