General Pande came to visit along LAC in eastern Arunachal

NEW DELHI: Chief of Army Staff General (COAS) Manoj Pande has conducted a comprehensive review of India’s military preparations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh, the border state following a clash between Indian and Chinese forces last month. are on their first tour. Tawang Sector

General Pande visited some other strategically important posts along the de facto border with China as well as Rest of Arunachal Pradesh (RALP) during his visit on Sunday, officials said.
He said that senior commanders in Arunachal Pradesh briefed the Army Chief about the overall security situation in the border areas.
“General Manoj Pande #COAS visited units and formations along with LAC in East #Arunachal Pradesh and briefed on operational preparations and security situation. #COAS lauded troops for maintaining strict vigilance and all Instructed to continue with the same zeal and dedication,” the army tweeted.
On Saturday, General Manoj Pande reviewed the Army’s military preparedness along the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim during his visit to the Eastern Army Command headquarters in Kolkata.

General Pande’s high command visit comes six weeks after a clash between Indian and Chinese troops in an area along the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang sector.
The Eastern Command maintains the LAC in the Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim sectors.

Tensions between India and China have risen fresh after a clash between troops from both sides in a clash along the LAC on Yangtze in Tawang sector on December 9.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said in Parliament on December 13 that Chinese troops tried to “unilaterally” change the status quo in the Yangtze region, but the Indian Army’s strong and determined response forced them to retreat.

On 12 January, General Pande said the situation on the border with China was “stable” but “unpredictable” and Indian troops were adequately deployed to deal with any emergency.
He also said that there has been a slight increase in the number of Chinese troops in their areas in the eastern sector. “But we are closely monitoring the movements and activities there,” he said.

Apart from eastern Ladakh, the Indian Army is also focusing on infrastructure expansion along the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. After the Eastern Ladakh standoff, the Indian Army significantly enhanced its operational capabilities along the LAC in the eastern theater as well.
Army officials said the army has built an effective surveillance apparatus and the overall surveillance of the areas has improved considerably in the last two years.
From building roads, bridges and ammunition depots to strengthening its surveillance equipment, the army is rapidly expanding military infrastructure to rapidly mobilize troops in the region.

In eastern Ladakh along the LAC, Indian and Chinese troops have been in a standoff for over 32 months.

India has maintained that its relations with China cannot return to normal unless there is peace in the border areas.
The East Ladakh border standoff began on May 5, 2020, following a violent encounter in the Pangong Lake area.

Relations between the two countries deteriorated significantly after the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020, which marked the worst military conflict between the two sides in decades.
As a result of a series of military and diplomatic negotiations, the two sides completed the separation of the northern and southern shores of Pangong Lake and the Gogra region.

Last September, Indian and Chinese troops withdrew from Patrol Point 15 in the Gogra-Hot Springs area.