Situation in Ladakh ‘Most Serious’ After 1962 Conflict: Jaishankar

‘Indo-China relationship requires both a strategy & a vision and an honest conversation is needed,” Jaishankar said.

FIle image of Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar.

(Photo: IANS/Twitter)

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in an interview to Rediff.com, said that the standoff situation with China in Galwan Valley of eastern Ladakh is “surely the most serious situation after 1962.”

“In fact, after 45 years, we have had military casualties on this border. The quantum of forces currently deployed by both sides at the LAC (Line of Actual Control) is also unprecedented,” the External Affairs minister told Rediff.com.

Over the last three months, India and China have engaged in several diplomatic and military discussion amid the disengagement process, but all have failed to yield any result so far.

On 15 June, tension between Indian and Chinese forces escalated, after the violent clashes between the two forces, in which 20 Indian Army personnel were martyred. Since then, tensions between the two countries have heightened.

As per reports, the Chinese side also suffered casualties but the government of China did not give out any details on the matter.

The External Affairs minister also stated: “If you look back over the last decade, there have been a number of border situations, but what is also common is that all borders situations were resolved through diplomacy.”

He further mentioned that each situation was different, but “this one surely is.”

Talking about the solution to the stand-off with China, the Foreign Minister said that a solution must be predicated on honouring all agreements and understandings without attempting to alter the status quo unilaterally.

'The India Way'

Talking about his book, 'The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World’, S Jaishankar said that it talks about how the “ability of India and China to work together could determine the Asian century. But their difficulties in doing so may well undermine it.”

He said that Indo-China relationship requires both a strategy and a vision and an honest conversation on this is needed.

S Jaishankar further stated, as per Rediff.com, that he presented the first copy of the new book to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and thanked him for his inspiration and encouragement.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar with PM Modi(Image courtesy: Twitter/@DrSJaishankar

(With inputs from Rediff.com)