China’s Intention is to Keep The Boundary Question ‘Alive’: Army Chief Gen Pande

General Pande also said that the investigation into Mon killings has been completed.

Army Chief Lt General Manoj Pande on Monday, 9 May, speaking on the boundary question between India and China, said that it has been the latter’s intention to keep "alive" the boundary question.

Asserting that the Army's aim was to restore the status quo ante April 2020 in eastern Ladakh, Gen Pande was quoted as saying, "The basic issue remains the resolution of the border. What we see is that China's intent has been to keep the boundary issue alive," news agency PTI reported.

"What we need as a country is a 'whole of nation' approach and in the military domain, this is to prevent and counter any attempt to alter the status quo at the Line of Actual Control (LAC)," Pande said.

Adding that Indian troops are adequately deployed along the LAC to deal with any situation and that guidance has been given to them to "remain firm and resolute" in their tasks.

The comments by Pande, who took charge as the Army chief on 30 April, came in the light of the border standoff in eastern Ladakh completing two years on 4 May.

He also referred to military and diplomatic talks between India and China to resolve the eastern Ladakh standoff and emphasised that the talks between the two sides resulted in the disengagement of troops in the north and south banks of Pangong Tso, Gogra and Patrolling Point 14 (Galwan).

India and China have held 15 rounds of military talks so far to resolve the eastern Ladakh row, with each side having around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC.

Investigation Into Mon Incident Complete: Army Chief Pande

Meanwhile, speaking on the tragic 4 December incident in Nagaland’s Mon district, where India’s armed forces personnel gunned down 13 miners in a case of “mistaken identity”, General Pande told that the investigation into the incident has been completed and the report is now undergoing legal scrutiny.

In an interaction with a group of journalists, he suggested that standard operating procedures and drills could be refined based on the findings of the report, PTI reported.

The Army had ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident. The probe team was headed by a Major General.

Pande added, “Just like in the past, if we find some personnel who have not followed the standard operating procedures and guidelines, action as per the due process of military law will be taken."

Apart from the Court of Inquiry by the Army, the state government had also appointed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident.