Indian and Chinese troops at a ceremonial border personnel meeting. — PTI file photo

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 19

In a path-breaking occurrence, the armies of India and China on Wednesday conducted their first-ever joint exercise in eastern Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir.The move will be watched across the western border in Pakistan.This is the first military cooperation of New Delhi and Beijing in J&K. The two nations conduct exercises at other locations in the country.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)This is the same spot where the two countries fought pitched battles in 1962.The two countries do not have an earmarked boundary and the Line of Actual Control (LAC) — its alignment is disputed by both.During the daylong exercise on Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR), a fictitious situation of earthquake striking an Indian Border village was painted. Thereafter, joint teams carried out rescue operation, evacuation and rendering of medical assistance.The Indian team for the exercise was led by Brigadier RS Raman and that of the Chinese was led by Sr Col Fan Jun. The exercise refined the drills to provide succour to the border population in case of natural calamity but has also increased the level of trust and cooperation between the two border guarding forces along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh.The joint exercise, compliments the ‘Hand-in-Hand’ series of the India-China joint exercises and the effort of both the nations to enhance cooperation and maintain peace and tranquility along the border areas of India and China.