Situation along LAC normal since February: Army chief

New Delhi: The talks between India and China on the border row in eastern Ladakh have helped "build trust" and the situation in the region has been normal since the disengagement took place in the Pangong Tso areas in February, Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane said on Thursday, exuding confidence of resolution of the "remaining issues".

In a virtual interactive session at a think-tank, Gen Naravane said the militaries of the two countries have been engaged in dialogue at various levels.

"The situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is normal ever since the disengagement took place in February this year from the northern and southern banks of Pangong lake as well as the Kailash ranges," he said.

"Since then both sides have strictly adhered to in the letter and sprit of the disengagement that was agreed upon. We are engaging the Chinese at various levels at the political level, at the diplomatic level and of course at the military level," Gen Naravane added. The Army chief was asked to comment on the situation in eastern Ladakh.

"This talk between us is going on and this has helped build trust between the two sides."

"And going ahead, we are sure that we will be able to resolve all the remaining issues," he said.

At the same time, Gen Naravane said that the development along northern borders in the past year showed that the armed forces will have to be continuously prepared.

The comments by the Army chief came three days after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that India believes in resolving disputes with neighbours through dialogue but it will not tolerate if provoked or threatened.

He also said that there has been no infiltration along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kasmir after India and Pakistan agreed to observe a ceasefire in February and it has resulted in a significant drop in all parameters of violence.

"But there will always be elements who will try to sabotage the process of peace and development. We will have to cater for that. We have a strong counter-terrorism and counter-infiltration grid in Jammu and Kashmir and our operations to that end to ensure peace and tranquillity will continue," he added.

He also said that the easy availability of drones has increased the complexity of security challenges from both state and state-sponsored actors and called for shedding "old mindsets" to deal with the changing character of modern warfare encompassing a multitude of new threats.