Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said no power in the world can take an inch of India’s land while interacting with Indian Army and ITBP personnel at Lukung post near Pangong Lake in Ladakh.
Rajnath Singh, who is on a two-day visit to Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, also said that talks are underway to resolve the border dispute between India and China. While India remains hopeful of a resolution to the ongoing tussle with China through dialogue, Singh said there is no guarantee of the final outcome.
Singh, however, assured that India will not give away an inch of land to any power in the world. The Defence Minister also said India will respond incase any future aggression continues or any country tries to grand Indian territory.
“To what extent it can be resolved I cannot guarantee, but I can assure you, not an inch of our land can be taken away by any power in the world, “ he said while addressing Indian Army personnel.
Rajnath Singh emphasised on finding a diplomatic solution to the standoff with China and added that there is “nothing better” than a solution through diplomatic and military talks.
However, the disengagement is far from complete with the Chinese showing reluctance in moving back in the Pangong Lake. Even the Hot Springs areas around patrol point 14 continues to be a hurdle.
At Pangong Lake -- the biggest flashpoint -- the distance between troops from both sides is 4-5 km on the bank of the river, but on the mountain ridges of the lake, the troops are separated about 1 km.
The Chinese had been camping at Finger 4 that was always under Indian control. The Chinese had come in 8km till Finger 4 from Finger 8. India maintains the Line of Actual Control runs through Finger 8. The mountain spurs jutting into the lake are referred to as Fingers in military parlance.
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