The Modi Government has told the Parliament on Friday (February 4) that the bridge across the Pangong Lake in Eastern Ladakh being built by China is illegal and India expects other countries to respect India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“The Government has taken note of a bridge being constructed by China on Pangong lake. This bridge is being constructed in areas that have continued to be under the illegal occupation of China since 1962,” the government told Parliament in a written response.
“Government of India has never accepted this illegal occupation. Government has made it clear on several occasions that the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral part of India and we expect other countries to respect India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it added.
The bridge that has been built by the Chinese over Pangong Lake in Eastern Ladakh is 8 metres wide and it gives the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) faster access to the Chinese army field base on the North Bank of Pangong where Chinese field hospitals and troop accommodations were constructed during the standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in 2020.
“Our approach in these talks has been and will continue to be guided by three key principles, that, (i) both sides should strictly respect and observe the LAC; (ii) neither side should attempt to alter the status quo unilaterally; and (iii) all agreements between the two sides must be fully abided by in their entirety,” the government said.
“Government has noted reports of renaming of some places by China in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. This is a futile exercise that will not alter the fact that Arunachal Pradesh has always been, is and will always be an integral part of India,” it said.
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