New Delhi, February 11: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday spoke on the current situation in Eastern Ladakh and lauded the Indian Army jawans  for responding to the challenges by unilateral Chinese action. Singh said the Indian Army has shown valour and courage on both South and North bank of Pangong Tso. "Our Armed Forces responded to challenges by unilateral Chinese action and have shown valour and courage on both South and North bank of Pangong Tso. Many strategic points were identified & our troops positioned themselves at locations very important from our point of view", Singh said.

The Defence Minister said that since September 2020, both sides- India & China, have maintained communication with each other through military and diplomatic channels. "Our objective was to effect disengagement & maintain status quo along the LAC so as to restore peace and tranquillity", Singh said.  Chinese, Indian Troops Start Disengagement in Eastern Ladakh At North And South Banks of Pangong Lake, Says Chinese Defence Ministry.

Here are the tweets:

Here are the key highlights of Rajnath Singh:

  1. Rajnath Singh said since last September, India and China have maintained communication with each other through military & diplomatic channels. Our objective was to effect disengagement and maintain status quo along the LAC so as to restore peace and tranquillity.

  2. Singh said jawans of Indian Army responded to challenges by unilateral Chinese action & have shown valour & courage on both South & North bank of Pangong Tso.

  3. Chinese side will keep its troop presence in the North Bank area to east of Finger 8. Indian troops will be based at their permanent base at Dhan Singh Thapa Post near Finger 3. Similar action would be taken in the South Bank area by both sides, Rajnath Singh said.

  4. He said many strategic points were identified and our troops positioned themselves at locations very important from our point of view.

  5. "It's because of this bravery of our Armed Forces in harsh adverse climatic conditions that we maintained the edge. Our Armed Forces proved yet again that territorial integrity of our country remains safe in their hands & their grit & determination is unwavering", Singh said.

  6. The agreement that we have been able to reach with the Chinese side for disengagement in Pangong lake area envisages that both sides will cease their forward deployments in a phased, coordinated and verified manner: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Lok Sabha

  7. Singh assured the House that in these talks, nothing has been conceded yet. The House should also know that there are still some outstanding issues with regard to deployment and patrolling at some other points along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh, Singh said.

  8. "These will be focus of further discussions with the Chinese side. We've agreed that both sides should achieve complete disengagement at the earliest and abide fully by the bilateral agreements and protocols. By now, the Chinese side is also fully aware of our resolve", Singh said.

Singh statement comes amid several reports of disengagement at the Line of Actual Control. Media reports on Wednesday indicated that the Indian Army and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) are disengaging frontline troops from the flashpoints at Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 11, 2021 05:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).