New Army Chief says India-China border needs more attention
A day after taking over as the 28th Chief of the Indian Army, General Manoj Mukund Naravane said that India needs to pay more attention to the China front and enhance capabilities along the Northern border. The statement comes after he said on Tuesday that India reserves the right to pre-emptively strike sources of terror in Pakistan. Here's more on what he said.
Speaking to reporters after receiving the first Guard of Honour as the Army Chief, General Naravane said, "We have been giving attention to our Western front in the past. The Northern front now also requires an equal amount of attention." The Army Chief said they are opting for "capability development" along the Northern borders, including the Northeastern part of India.
According to NDTV, Naravane said, "We have the Line of Actual Control with China. The border question is yet to be settled." He added, "However, we've made a lot of progress in maintaining peace and tranquility along the borders. I'm sure the situation will prevail. By maintaining peace and tranquility along the borders, we'll be able to set the stage for an eventual solution."
"We will also pay special emphasis on raising security awareness among ranks and file and pay special attention to respect human rights," the Army chief said, adding that all three services—the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force—are ready to defend the country.
The India-China border has witnessed many Chinese incursions in Ladakh and in Arunachal Pradesh in recent years. Notably, in 2017, Chinese and Indian troops had a 10-week stand-off at Doklam (Donglang in Chinese) near the India-Bhutan-China trijunction over China's construction of a road at Doklam, which would've given its Army a clear line of sight to the Siliguri corridor in India.
The Army Chief had on Tuesday said that the Army has "multiple options" to respond to acts of Pakistan-backed terrorism, adding that India will be ready to take "whatever measures required" to deal with such challenges. Speaking to NDTV on Wednesday, he said that the Army is aware of active terrorist camps across the border and will plan to "counter" them.
