AK Antony today insisted that the Chinese military has not destroyed any Indian Army outposts along the disputed border.
NEW DELHI: On a visit to the Indo-China border, defence minister AK Antony today insisted that the Chinese military has not destroyed any Indian Army outposts along the disputed border. “No such incident took place in the Indian territory.”
He was reacting to reports that the People’s Liberation Army troops destroyed some Army posts overlooking the Chumbi Valley, a tri-section along the Sikkim border dividing India, China and Bhutan in early November. An Army source said technically the destroyed post may not have been within India.
The defence minister also said that there was no evidence to show that Chinese Army personnel may have damaged a Buddhist temple in Tawang a few weeks ago. The issue was raised in Parliament by a Member of Parliament from Arunachal Pradesh Nabum Rebia.
“There was damage to the temple but we do not have any evidence to suggest that it was done by the Chinese troops,” Antony said.
However, the defence minister admitted that there were problems due to an unresolved border dispute, and said the effort was to find a lasting solution to the issue through negotiations.
The minister also highlighted the fact that strategically important northeastern states have been neglected in infrastructure development, while China has built up world-class facilities on their side.
Even as the defence minister tried to play down the issues, Army sources told DNA that there has been “qualitative drop” in the tender peace along the disputed border.
Early this year, the Indian Army had moved almost a Brigade of soldiers into Tawang Valley after the Chinese carried out aggressive patrolling into the disputed areas.
“The troops have gone back from Tawang,” sources said.
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