Contradicting PM Modi, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar says situation in Ladakh ‘most serious’ since 1962

Contradicting PM Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has called the situation in Ladakh the “most serious” since the 1962 conflict.

“This is surely the most serious situation after 1962. In fact, after 45 years, we have had military casualties on this border. The quantum of forces currently deployed by both sides at the LAC is also unprecedented,” Jaishankar told Rediff.com in an interview ahead of the release of his book.

Saying that a solution to the border row with China must be predicated on honouring all agreements and understandings without attempting to alter the status quo unilaterally, the minister noted, “As you know, we are talking to the Chinese both through military channels and diplomatic ones. In fact, they work in tandem”.

It is worth reiterating here that Modi, in an all party meet held in June to ponder on the situation in LAC, claimed that “Na koi wahan hamari seema mein ghus aaya hai aur nahi koi ghusa hua hai, na hi hamari koi post kisi dusre ke kabze mein hain (No one has intruded and nor is anyone intruding on our land, and none of our posts have been captured by someone)”.

"The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is building a brigade-size garrison at Gyantse in Tibet which appears to be meant for the ground forces. The construction was started after January 2020 and is likely to be completed by the spring of 2021,” an army officer was quoted as saying by the media. The new garrison includes six battalion area headquarters and an administration area with more than 600 vehicles and equipment sheds.

Not only Ladakh, the PLA is building infrastructure on the eastern border also. “The new brigade is located at a point from where it will be able to move to the western part of the Arunachal Pradesh and also to Sikkim," the New Indian Express reported, adding, "Tawang, which lies in the western part of Arunachal Pradesh, has been a major point of contention between India and China."

“The images of June and July confirm that China is building connecting roads to the border areas at multiple points in the eastern sector,” it added.

Another source pointed out the deployment of missiles. “For the first time, a target acquisition radar associated with the S-300 missile has been installed at Malan Airfield under the Western Theatre Command (WTC),” it said.