New Delhi, September 10
Army Chief General Manoj Pande, who started his two-day Ladakh visit on Saturday, reviewed the security situation in Ladakh and also met troops engaged in conducting an exercise—Parvat Prahaar— in Eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC ).
Troops during a copter drill. Tribune photo
Featuring a display of operational capabilities by artillery guns and other key weapon systems, the exercise is being conducted on a plateau at an altitude of over 14,000 feet. The Army said the Chief was briefed on operational preparedness. He interacted with officers and troops and complimented them for their steadfastness and professional standards. His visit comes two days after Indian and Chinese militaries began disengaging from Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area in the region.
Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta, Commander of the Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps, and other senior officials apprised Gen Pande about the overall security situation including the ongoing disengagement process in Patrolling Point 15, officials said.
Gen Pande is scheduled to visit Siachen on Sunday.
The Indian and Chinese armies on Thursday announced that they had started disengaging from the Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area of eastern Ladakh, marking a significant forward movement in the stalled process to pull-out troops from the remaining friction points in the region where the two sides have been locked in a stand-off for over two years.
There has been no progress yet to resolve the standoff in Demchok and Depsang regions. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said on Friday that the disengagement process in Patrolling Point 15 would be completed by Monday. He had said the agreement ensures that the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in this area will be strictly observed and respected by both sides and that there will be no unilateral change in the status quo. (With PTI inputs)