Leh: Underlining that military preparedness is in full swing in his Union territory, Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Brig B.D. Mishra (Retd) asserted that no territory has been lost to China under the Narendra Modi government.
He also asserted that India is determined to protect the territory and China is aware that the country will defend till its last man.
He credited this to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whom he called a visionary earlier.
“Preparation is on the way. We are paying full attention. And all the rumours of so much territory have gone there…you know, I have been on the ground. I’ve been to the LAC, I’ve been to other places. Whatever territory was lost in 1962 or around that period, that territory is with the adversary, but no losses have taken place now,” the LG said.
He added, “This is so because we are very much determined, and China knows, China knows that we will defend to the last man. And I am telling you today, I might be over 85 years in age…but I will go to the front with a gun to oppose the adversary. This is the determination of the nation, which matters in the defence of the country, and the strength, willpower and political commitment of the man who is heading the government,” he said.
The LG was responding to a query by ThePrint on the defence preparedness along the critical Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh where China violated every agreement in place and transgressed into Indian territories.
He was addressing the media on the sidelines of the HimTech exhibition being held by the Leh-based 14 Corps, also known as the Fire and Fury Corps.
While China has pulled back to its side of the LAC, the areas where they have pulled back from have become a buffer zone, meaning that no side will enter that area.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had said that 75 percent of the issues with regard to the border tensions with China had been resolved.
He was referring to the disengagements that have taken place at the Kailash Range, Northern banks of Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley and the Hot Springs area. The last disengagement happened in 2022.
However, Chinese soldiers continue to block access to the Depsang Plains, once patrolled by Indian soldiers and there is also a stand-off in Demchok.
India has also demanded that the Chinese pull back their troops to pre-May 2020 positions, a demand that has become weaker with growing realisation that forward deployment along the LAC is now the new normal.
The LG said that all project clearances coming to him from the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) are being sanctioned swiftly.
He said that the military preparedness is being beefed up with more spending on new equipment which is being inducted.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhari)
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