In order to maintain peace and tranquillity along the borders, India and China have agreed to set up a military hotline, said Indian Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Saturday.
The hotline will be set up between the Indian Army’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) and Western Theatre Command (WTC) of China’s People’s Liberation Army.
According to reports, General Naravane said after resolving all procedural issues, the proposal for hotline has been accepted by both sides.
Addressing an annual press conference, Army chief General Navarane said: “As far as the hotline between India and China is concerned, proposals have been in the pipeline for a long time. The proposal has been accepted and procedural aspects have been ironed out. I am glad to say that we have now resolved the issue.”
In the past, the hotline faced several roadblocks due to the differing views of both India and China.
The stand of the Indian Army was that the hotline should be between its DGMO and his equivalent in the PLA.
However, China proposed that as the Western Theatre Command is responsible for the front with India, therefore its commander should engage with the Indian DGMO.
Both sides see hotlines as a necessity for better interaction between their armies and to defuse tensions caused by differing perceptions of the Line of Actual Control.
Stating that both the borders, including Northern and Western, are equally significant, General Naravane said the advanced weapons systems are being deployed and infrastructure improved along the Chinese border.
General Naravane said, “At one point of time it (advanced weapons system) was more towards the Western front (Pakistan). Now we think both borders are equally important. It is in that context that the rebalance is taking place.”
The Army chief also emphasized balancing the threat along the eastern front.
The Army chief vouched on capacity building such as roads, habitat, and storage for ammunition in the East.