Increase in Chinese Troops at LAC, situation stable but unpredictable: Army Chief Manoj Pande

There is an increase in Chinese troops Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh and the situation along the LAC is stable but unpredictable, said Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande said on Thursday.

Addressing the media ahead of the Army Day, Pande said that India has deployed adequate troops and ramped up infrastructure development along the border to deal with any contingency.

Saying that both India and China have been able to resolve five of the seven issues along the LAC, Pande said, “The situation on the northern border is stable and under control, but unpredictable. Our troops have been able to maintain a robust posture. Both sides have been able to resolve five of the seven issues that were on the table. We continue to talk both at the military and diplomatic levels”.

Without naming China, the Army Chief said in some context Indian soldiers have been able to prevent the attempts made to change the status quo on the ground. Pande added the Indian Army is closely watching the situation in Doklam and monitoring Chinese activities there.

He said ₹1,300 crore has been spent on building infrastructure, including habitat, in eastern Ladakh in recent months.

Talking about the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the Line of Control (LoC), Gen Pande said though ceasefire agreement that Pakistan signed in February 2021 is holding well, cross-border support to terrorism and terror infrastructure remains an issue.