New Delhi, August 24: Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat on Monday said a military option to deal with Chinese transgressions in Ladakh is ready, adding that it will be used if the dialogue between armies of India and China and on diplomatic level doesn't work. "The military option to deal with transgressions by the Chinese army in Ladakh is on but it will be exercised only if talks at the military and the diplomatic level fail," CDS General Bipin Rawat told news agency ANI. Indo-Sino Standoff in Ladakh: 'Talks With China at Diplomatic & Military Level Underway, Won't Keep Anyone in Dark', Says Rajnath Singh During Jammu Samvad Rally.

The de-escalation of troops at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) has reportedly stopped for now after the disengagement talks between India and China hit a roadblock. China has refused to move back from its present military position north of the Pangong Tso and Depsang. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has refused to pull back eastwards from the 8-km stretch it has occupied from Finger-4 to Finger-8 by building scores of new fortifications there since early May. Rahul Gandhi Asks 'Why is The PM Lying' as Reports Carry Defence Ministry Documents Citing Transgression by China in Ladakh in May 2020.

The mountain spurs jutting into the lake are referred to as Fingers in military parlance. Moreover, China has also increased its troop deployment at Lipulekh, the place that became a trigger for strained relations between New Delhi and Kathmandu. Chinese troops have reportedly changed the status quo on the LAC at various places. India has objected to it and is taking up the matter with China at all levels.

India and China engaged in military and diplomatic deliberations to de-escalate the tense situation at the border areas after the two countries were locked in a 10-week-long standoff at multiple points, hitherto unprecedented, along the LAC. On June 15, India lost 20 soldiers during a face-off with the Chinese PLA in Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 24, 2020 10:04 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).