Rajnath Singh, Ajit Doval and military top brass security meet focuses on LAC situation

The top-level security review also came a day after the army’s top commanders discussed the security situation at the northern and western borders.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh, national security adviser Ajit Doval and the military’s top brass on Saturday met for a security review during which they also deliberated on the situation along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh where Indian and Chinese forces have been locked in a standoff for more than three months and the disengagement process has hit a roadblock, people familiar with the developments said.

Chief of defence staff General Bipin Rawat, army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane, air force chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria and navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh attended the meeting that took place two days after diplomatic talks between the two nuclear-armed countries on the border issue, the officials said, asking not to be named. Details of the discussions were not immediately known.

India and China were unable to bridge their differences on the disengagement and de-escalation process along the LAC during diplomatic talks on Thursday, with New Delhi emphasising the need to resolve “outstanding issues” speedily, as reported by Hindustan Times on August 20.

The top-level security review also came a day after the army’s top commanders discussed the security situation at the northern and western borders.

“A meeting of the Army Commanders was conducted on 20-21 August 2020 to review the security situation and operational preparedness on both the Northern and Western Fronts,” the army tweeted on Saturday. The army is preparing for a long haul in the Ladakh sector, stretching through the harsh winters.

People familiar with developments during the meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs dismissed an assertion in a readout from the Chinese foreign ministry that the two sides had “positively evaluated the progress” in the disengagement process.

The military dialogue between senior commanders from the two sides has hit a roadblock due to Chinese reluctance to restore status quo ante in some key friction areas along the LAC. The commanders set the time-frame and method of disengagement while the WMCC monitors the process.

No dates have yet been fixed for the next round of talks between corps commander-ranked officers who have so far met five times but failed to break the deadlock, the officials said.

The August 20 WMCC meeting was co-chaired by joint secretary (East Asia) Naveen Srivastava of the external affairs ministry and Hong Liang, director general of the boundary and oceanic department of China’s foreign ministry. This was the body’s fifth virtual meeting since the Ladakh standoff emerged in the open in May.

The sizeable Chinese troop presence at friction points, particularly Pangong Lake and Depsang, remains an area of key concern for the Indian Army. The Finger Area—a set of eight cliffs jutting out of Sirijap range overlooking Pangong Lake—has emerged as the hardest part of the disengagement process. Disengagement has progressed somewhat smoothly at friction points in Galwan Valley and Hot Springs, but its pace remains sluggish in Gogra area.

There is growing consensus among Indian officials and China experts that military talks are unlikely to deliver further results, and the resolution of the issue will require political and diplomatic intervention.

De-escalation along the disputed border can only begin after complete disengagement between the two armies on the LAC. The ground situation remains unchanged in Ladakh sector, where both armies have deployed almost 100,000 soldiers and weaponry in their forward and depth areas.