Arun Joshi
Jammu, July 17
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday cautioned those eyeing Indian territory or hurting its sovereignty and said that they would be given a befitting reply.
Speaking in Leh, Singh said he hoped that Indo-China talks were moving towards the resolution of the crisis.
He said, talks were underway to resolve the situation, “but I cannot guarantee as to what extent the issue would be resolved”.
Hints of the complex nature of the talks were also dropped by the Indian Army, in a statement, on Thursday.
Without naming China, Singh said: “India’s commitment to peace should not be taken as a weakness as we are capable of defeating designs of the adversaries.”
Singh was speaking from the banks of Pangong Tso, where Chinese had put up a massive built up of its troops and war machinery.
He said: “No country can take even an inch of our land; our soldiers and the nation are ready to meet and defeat any such designs.”
Singh, who is on a two-day visit of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, had begun his tour by witnessing military exercises in Ladakh. He later travelled to the forward position to deliver a message of solidarity with the soldiers. His message from Pangong Tso holds a strategic message as it is close to the area where the standoff occurred in eastern Ladakh.
Earlier, he also held a review meeting with the commanders and hoped that the situation would get resolved soon as the talks with China were progressing.