India-China Standoff: Army prepares for October as water level rises in rivers along LAC in Ladakh

India China relations: Indian deployment has also been strong with enough personnel, armour, equipment, and quantities of ammunition. (Reuters image)

Indian Army is braving inclement weather as it prepares to tackle any possible threat of Chinese maneuvers along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The present situation is in a statis along the LAC but this will be decided by the weather and terrain going ahead, a senior officer was quoted as saying by Indian Express.

Currently, rivers are currently in full spate in the eastern part of Ladakh. Since the tracks are located in the valley areas, they become unusable and inaccessible. This effectively rules out any military action. However, the month of October, when the water subsides, is considered as a campaigning season in the area even though there will be a much colder climate. Indian Army is fully prepared for that, as per the Indian Express report.

Notably, the 1962 Sino-India war was fought during the months of October and November. The conflict also took place the areas in Ladakh which are presently the friction points between the two Asian giants for the last four months.

The officer said that Bejing has not only deployed a hefty number of Chinese troops on the LAC but also providing the logistics support and building infrastructure. This is a key indicator. Chinese Army, also known as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), has put tracks, shelters, bunkers, and communication networks, the officer said. Indian deployment has also been strong with enough personnel, armour, equipment, and quantities of ammunition, the officer said.

Even though Beijing has agreed to a disengagement plan, the Chinese troops have occupied a height that allows them to dominate PP17A in Gogra. Chinese troops have yet to step back from a key area of Finger-4 ridgeline on the north bank of Pangong Tso. In the strategic Depsang Plains, there have been tensions, the officer said.

“This is surely the most serious situation after 1962. In fact, after 45 years, we have had military casualties on this border. The quantum of forces currently deployed by both sides at the LAC is also unprecedented,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was quoted as saying by Rediff.com.