Border disputes appear to be a Pakistan-China mission: Rajnath

New Delhi: Disputes on the border with Pakistan and China appear to have been created ‘under a mission’, defence minister Rajnath Singh has said, alluding to a possible collusive threat posed by the two neighbouring nations, even as talks on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) situation in Ladakh continued on Monday.
The minister, who was speaking at an online session to dedicate 44 critical bridges connecting border areas across the nation, said that India deals with some tension on its borders with Pakistan and China on a daily basis and is dealing with these challenges with “great determination”.

“You are aware of the situation at our eastern and northern borders. It appears as if border disputes are being created under a mission, first by Pakistan and now even China. The two countries share 7,000 km of borders with us and often in some or the other sector there is tension,” he said.

On Monday, Indian and Chinese military commanders met at the Chushul border meeting point to discuss the current standoff that involves over 50,000 troops from each side. In a change from the past, the Chinese side had senior representatives from its ministry of defence at the meeting, while the Indian delegation consisted of two senior commanders and a representative from the ministry of external affairs.

The talks continued late into Monday evening, with the Indian side making it clear that a complete disengagement has to be worked out and specific sectors where troops are in a standoff cannot be discussed in isolation.

Rajnath Singh, who congratulated the Border Roads Organisation for completing 44 critical bridges across seven states and Union Territories, said India has been facing a challenging time with the Covid-19 crisis, and despite border tensions with China and Pakistan, has been resolutely dealing with them and bringing about historical changes in all sectors.

Singh said that despite the Covid-19 crisis, the annual budget of the BRO has not been reduced, even though it was raised substantially to over Rs 20,000 crore in the current financial year. In an online ceremony, the minister also laid the foundation stone of a strategic tunnel on the road to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh that will provide all weather connectivity across the Nechiphu Pass.