JAMMU: In a significant sign of increasing co-ordination between Indian and Chinese armies, the two held a first ever joint exercise at Chushul, in eastern Ladakh, where they had a face-off in the past.
PTI PHOTOIndian and Chinese army personnel during a joint exercise in Ladakh on Saturday.“The border troops of the two armies had the first joint tactical exercise at Chushul-Moldo on February 6. It is a part of ongoing initiatives to ensure greater interaction between troops stationed along the line-of actual-control (LAC) to ensure peace and tranquility on the border,” defence spokesperson Colonel SD Goswami said.
The two armies had decided to hold joint hand-to-hand exercises after Lt Gen DS Hooda, head of northern command, paid a threeday visit to China last December. The first exercise as part of the series was held in Sikkim.
“Holding joint exercise at Chushul is quite significant, reflecting that China intends to keep peace along the LAC and cooperate with the Indian army,” said a senior army official on condition of anonymity.
The two armies had a fierce engagement at Chushul in the 1962 Indo-China war. There have been many instances of Chinese incursion in this area in the past as well.
Army spokesperson said the Indian army team of thirty personnel was led by colonel Ritesh Chandra Singh while the Chinese delegation was led by Colonel Qu Yi. The day-long joint exercise was about co-ordination between the two armies in the event of a natural disaster.
Sources during Lt Gen Hooda’s visit said the two armies had agreed to have four more border-personnel -meeting (BPM) points, two in Ladakh and two in Arunachal Pradesh.
A first: Chinese, Indian troops meet for disaster mgmt drill
The first joint Indo-China tactical exercise between border troops of both countries was conducted in the Chushul-Moldo area. Tribune Photo
Sumit Hakhoo,Tribune News Service
Jammu, February 7
The Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh, often in news for standoff between Indian and Chinese soldiers, saw the first-ever joint tactical exercise between the two armies to tackle natural disasters.The day-long humanitarian relief exercise conducted in sub-zero temperature in the remote Chushul-Moldo area of Jammu and Kashmir saw soldiers jointly conducting rescue missions, casualty evacuation and providing humanitarian aid in a situation of calamity striking areas close to the LAC.At the height of 4,360 m, Chushul is prone to cold and snow-related disasters. The exercise assumes significance in the backdrop of recent avalanche in Siachen. Soldiers guard remote outposts in the area and several small nomadic settlements are present on both sides of the LAC.The Indian team of 30 Army personnel was led by Colonel Ritesh Chandra Singh, while the Chinese team was led by Colonel Qu Yi.Chushul is one of the four officially agreed BPM (border personnel meeting) points for regular interaction between the two armies to defuse tension.“The joint exercise was based on a situation of a national disaster occurring on the border and the subsequent coordination for a rescue mission by joint teams of both countries. As previously agreed, the exercise focused on actions to be coordinated to provide humanitarian aid and disaster relief,” said a defence spokesperson.India shares 3,488-km de facto border with China and is divided into three sectors—western sector (between Ladakh and Aksai Chin plateau); central sector (between Uttarakhand and Tibet) and the eastern sector (covering Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh). Jammu and Kashmir has seen frequent transgressions over the past few years.The joint exercise, Sino-India Cooperation 2016, complements the Hand-in-Hand series of India-China joint exercises and the recently conducted border troops’ joint exercise in Sikkim.
Border bonhomie
- The day-long humanitarian relief exercise was conducted in sub-zero temperature in the Chushul-Moldo area of J&K
- Thirty soldiers each from the People’s Liberation Army and the Indian Army took part in the exercise
- The exercise was based on a situation of a national disaster and the subsequent coordination for a rescue mission, said a defence spokesperson