Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Sept 26: In a major Confidence Building Measure (CBM) after Burtse face off in Ladakh, India and China Armies have decided to hold joint military exercises in China next month for about 12 days in which one full Regiment of the Army and some officers including from Jammu and Kashmir will participate.
“The joint military exercises between Indian Army and People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China were being held at China’s Kunming military training ground from October 11 to 23,” official sources told the Excelsior.
They said the joint military exercises were proposed by the Chinese Army and the Indian side has accepted the proposal. Indian Army will be sending its Naga Regiment, based in Kolkata at present, and some officers from different parts of the country including Jammu and Kashmir were likely to join the joint exercises.
The Defence Ministry and the Army Headquarters have given their nod to the Indian Army to attend the joint military exercises in China after which the Army has finalized the Naga Regiment and selected officers from different States including Jammu and Kashmir for participation in the joint military exercises.
When contacted, Northern Command PRO Col SD Goswami confirmed the joint Sino-Indian Armies exercises in China saying they were part of the CBMs between the two countries. He said the Army’s Naga Regiment and “elements from different States” will attend the joint exercises.
“The joint military exercises will lead to more cordial relations between India and China,” Col Goswami said.
According to sources, the joint military exercises will boost bilateral relations between the two countries, which were progressing well after Chinese President’s visit to India last year followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Beijing in May this year.
“The fact that Burtse standoff in Ladakh sector between the two countries was resolved in less than a week by the two Armies without any intervention by the Governments of the two countries early this month was an indicative of improving relations, which could further go up after 12 days long joint military exercises,” sources said, adding this will also serve as a major CBM between the two sides.
The Indian Army and the PLA soldiers were involved in eyeball-to-eyeball position at Burtse along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh sector early this month after the PLA jawans had intruded about 500 meters inside the Indian territory and erected a watch tower there. The Indian Army had dismantled the watch tower and seized the Chinese camera that had been installed to keep vigil over the Indian side. The standoff was, however, resolved in two simultaneous flag meetings between India and Chinese Army officials.
Recently, the two sides had opened an additional Border Meeting Point (BMP) at Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) taking total number of BMPs in Ladakh to two and overall five. Chushul in Ladakh is the second meeting point between Sino-Indian Armies in Ladakh. Three other points were located in Arunachal Pradesh (two) and Sikkim (one).
A hotline contact between Northern Command and Chinese PLA was also among the various CBMs proposed by the two countries, which could mature after sometime. Increasing number of the BMPs was another proposed CMP, which had been implemented on August 15 this year on the Independence Day of the country.
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