The overall situation along the LAC with China is “stable” but “sensitive”: Ministry of Defense

New Delhi:

The overall situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is “stable” but “sensitive” and a broad consensus has been reached to restore the situation on the ground based on the principles of “equal and mutual security”, the defense ministry said on Thursday, weeks after the Indian and Chinese armies broke away from the last two points of friction in eastern Ladakh.

In a year-end review, the ministry referred to the agreement reached between the two sides on October 21 on disengagement and said patrolling activity had begun in the traditional areas of Depsang and Demchok.

“The overall situation along the LAC is stable but sensitive,” it said.

A broad consensus was reached to restore the situation on the ground based on the principles of equality and mutual security following protracted negotiations at the diplomatic and military levels, the ministry said.

“The consensus reached includes the disengagement and relocation of troops from the friction zones of Depsang and Demchok, followed by joint verification,” the statement said.

“Currently, the blocking positions have been removed by both sides and the joint verification has been completed. Patrolling activity has started in the traditional patrolling areas of Depsang and Demchok,” the ministry said in a brief on Indian Army activities in 2024.

He said the Army has maintained a high state of operational readiness to ensure stability and dominance along all borders, including the LAC and the Line of Control (LoC).

Last week, NSA Ajit Doval traveled to Beijing and held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as part of the Special Representatives (SR) Dialogue on the border dispute.

The decision to revive the SR dialogue mechanism was taken during a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan on October 23, two days after India and China strengthened the disengagement pact, effectively putting end of the more than four-year border conflict. along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

Regarding the situation along the LoC with Pakistan, the ministry said relentless counter-terrorist operations have been carried out while constantly analyzing emerging and future threats to national security.

Infrastructure development in border areas, being one of the key imperatives of operational readiness, has been given a boost in line with the government’s ‘Viksit Bharat Vision’, the release said.

“The vision plan of the BRO (Border Roads Organisation) has been completed until the year 2028, in which 470 roads of approximately 27,000 km will be built. The road perspective plan of other agencies is synchronized with the BRO plans,” the statement said. .

The report also mentioned the deployment of the Indian Navy in critical sea lanes following the Israel-Hamas conflict.

“The high tempo of operational deployment of Indian naval assets continues to be maintained with close surveillance of Indian-flagged merchant vessels and vessels carrying critical cargo for India,” the statement said.

Over the past year, in response to Houthi maritime attacks and increasing incidents of piracy in the Western Arabian Sea, the Indian Navy has deployed more than 30 ships to the region and responded to more than 25 incidents, the ministry said.

“The credible and prompt actions of the Indian Navy saved more than 400 lives, regardless of the nationality of the crew. As of November 2024, the Indian Navy has safely escorted over 230 merchant ships carrying over 90 lakh metric tonnes of cargo, assessed. to over 4 billion dollars”, he said.

The ministry said the Indian Navy’s efforts have garnered international and national accolades, cementing its position as a “preferred security partner” and “first responder”.

He also said that the Central Service Development Organization is continuing tri-service integration of joint aviation assets with the Indian Army and Indian Navy.

The ministry said the IAF is in the process of establishing six new defense wings, starting with Spain, Armenia and Ivory Coast, while continuously exploring avenues to increase its presence in the Indo-Pacific region, Europe, the Americas , as well as Africa.

The report said defense exports touched a record high of Rs 21,083 crore in the financial year 2023-24, registering a growth of 32.5% over the last financial year.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)