Army Chief Visits Forward Areas in Ladakh, Reviews Situation

The Indian Army Chief is on a two-day visit to take stock of the situation on the ground in Ladakh.

Army Chief General MM Naravane on Wednesday, 24 June, visited forward areas in Eastern Ladakh and reviewed the operational situation on the ground.

(Photo Courtesy: The Indian Army)

Army Chief Gen MM Naravane on Wednesday, 24 June, visited forward areas in eastern Ladakh and reviewed the operational situation on the ground.

He was accompanied by Lt Gen YK Joshi, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command and Lt Gen Harinder Singh, General Officer Commanding Fire and Fury Corps, said Indian Army in a statement.

It also added that General Naravane was briefed by General Officer Commanding, Trishul Division about the prevailing situation and operational preparedness in eastern Ladakh, and later, he, accompanied by Lieutenant General YK Joshi visited Headquarters of Fire & Fury Corps, where he was briefed by Lieutenant General Harinder Singh.

Earlier on Monday, Lieutenant General Singh and his Chinese counterpart met at the Chushul-Moldo point on the Chinese side of the LAC, post which, the army, on Tuesday, said that the talks were held in a “positive and constructive” atmosphere.

On Wednesday, General Naravane also awarded commendation cards to the soldiers who fought with Chinese troops in face-offs in Eastern Ladakh sector, ANI reported quoting sources.

“The army chief commended troops for their high morale and exhorted them to continue working with zeal and enthusiasm,” the Indian Army said.

(Photo: PTI)

(Photo: PTI)

Earlier, on Tuesday, he interacted with the soldiers who were a part of violent face-off with the Chinese army in Galwan Valley, at a military hospital in Leh.

General Naravane is on a two-day visit of Leh and Kashmir, to take stock of the situation on the ground amid border tensions between India and China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

(Photo Courtesy: The Indian Army)

(Photo Courtesy:The Indian Army)

His visit comes after a deadly clash between Indian and Chinese troops on 15 June in Ladakh's Galwan Valley claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers.

News agency IANS reported that the situation in the Pangong Tso Lake is likely to be another flashpoint after Galwan as the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China is looking to unilaterally change the contours of the LAC in that area.

There has been heavy camping and patrolling by the PLA in the Indian areas around Pangong Tso. This has also emerged as the biggest roadblock in the bilateral talks, the report added.

(With inputs from IANS)