Defence minister Rajnath Singh to visit Ladakh

India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be on a visit to the union territory of Ladakh from Sunday. The visit which will be more than one day visit will have BRO infrastructure programmes as the key focus. While in Ladakh, his visit to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) can't be ruled out.

The visit comes even as the Chinese still have not disengaged from other areas of the LAC like Gogra and hot springs. The Chinese forces at the LAC over the last year continue with the build-up increasing the tensions in the region.

Last week refusing to defuse the situation, the Chinese foreign ministry blamed India for the tension. India was quick to rebut that with the ministry of external affairs saying, "It is well recognized that it has been the Chinese actions over the last year, including amassing of a large number of troops close to border areas in the Western Sector" and "trying to unilaterally alter the status quo along the LAC, which have seriously disturbed peace and tranquillity in the border areas."

Friday saw the 22nd round of diplomatic level talks--the WMCC or Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination. During the talks, both sides decided to hold the 12th round of military-level talks which the MEA said should be focused on achieving "complete disengagement from all the friction points along the LAC in the Western Sector in accordance with the existing bilateral agreements and protocols."