Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited Pangong Tso in Ladakh on Friday to address the tensions between China and India. Addressing troops at Lukung near the Finger 4 area of Pangong Tso, he said, “Our character has been that we have never tried to hurt the self-respect of any country. If anyone tries to hurt the self-respect of India, we will not tolerate it and will give a befitting reply”. This comes one day after the Army and the Ministry of External Affairs described the ongoing talks as “intricate and complex”.
Addressing the issue between the two countries, Rajnath Singh said that he could not “guarantee” to what extent there would be a resolution, underlining that no power can take away an inch of Indian territory. He added that, “How far will it be solved cannot be guaranteed. But I definitely want to assure that no power in the world can touch even one inch of India’s land. No one can take possession of it”.
The Pangong region has been one of the main stand off areas between the two South Asian neighbours, ever since the Galwan valley attacks in May, and talks have been going on between the countries for quite some time now.
He was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General M.M. Naravane. They also witnessed a battle drill exercise.
Source: The Print