Udhampur, June 18 (ANI): General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Northern Command, Lieutenant General K. T. Parnaik, has said that no compromise was made to end the standoff with China earlier in April this year in the Daulat Beg Oldie sector near the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh.
Lieutenant General Parnaik, who was taking to the media here yesterday at a function to mark the 42nd Raising Day of the Northern Command, said the Chinese troops were forced to go back to their earlier positions.
"I must make it very clear that no compromise was made and we didn't dismantle any structure in Chumur while dealing with China over the intrusion issue," he said.
On April 15, troops of the People's Liberation Army had come 10 km inside Indian territory in the Daulat Beg Oldie sector and pitched tents. They refused to go back even after numerous flag meetings. The matter was resolved only after the ministerial-level intervention.
There were reports that China had agreed to move back after forcing India to dismantle some strategic structures in Chumur.
"While the standoff with China was going on, the Army had deliberately chosen not to make any public comments. At that time, the task of informing people was taken by the government and the foreign office was dealing with it directly," he said.
Lieutenant General Parnaik said intrusions were common in Ladakh as there is no clear demarcation of the LAC and both the countries have different perceptions about the border.
Diplomacy between India and China yielded results last month as Beijing agreed to pull out its troops from the Daulat Beg Oldi sector in Ladakh.
The nearly three-week-old stand-off between India and China over the latter allowing its troops to enter and occupy 19 kilometers of Indian territory in the Daulat Beg Oldie sector, ended with both sides withdrawing their troops to previously agreed positions.
"India and China have agreed to restore status quo along the Line of Actual Control in the western sector of the India-China boundary, as it existed prior to April 15, 2013. Flag meetings have been held to work out the modalities and to confirm the arrangements," MEA official spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin told the media in New Delhi last month.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Parnaik said that the militants might attack Hindu pilgrims going to revered Lord Shiva shrine in Jammu and Kashmir.
"As far Amarnath pilgrimage and tourism are concerned, I would say in the last two years, we witnessed very fruitful seasons. As per intelligence reports, their (militant) intention is to disrupt both," he said.
Lieutenant General Parnaik also played down Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's peace overtures to India.
"We have to be cautious. These statements and their intentions really mean nothing as of now and we will have to wait and watch. We hope and wish that they improve because it is good for people on both sides," he said.
The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, had earlier on May 31 said that both he and Nawaz Sharif want to take bilateral relations between the two Asian neighbours forward and resolve all outstanding issues in a peaceful manner.
Dr. Singh, who was interacting with the media onboard his special aircraft Air India One while returning home after his successful two-nation visit to Japan and Thailand, said both leaders had invited each other to visit their respective nations, but added that the dates for this have not been fixed as yet.
"I rang up Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on the very first day when the election results were coming out. I conveyed my congratulations to him and I reciprocated his sentiments that India-Pakistan relations should move forward. I also invited him to visit India," Dr. Singh said.
"He also invited me to visit Pakistan. There is an invitation from the Government of Pakistan for me to visit Pakistan. There is no firm decision on either side. No dates have been fixed, but we would certainly like to have good neighbourly relations with Pakistan," he added. (ANI)
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