HM briefed on stand-off situation in Ladakh

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and three service chiefs on Monday to review the stand-off situation at Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh.

Singh was also briefed about the deliberations that took place during the meeting of military commanders of both the countries on June 6."The meeting with Defence Minister was called for an assessment on the talks and future strategy as the army prepares for a long haul," a source said.

During the meeting, a plan is being drawn out to deal with issues that continue to be a cause of concern for India. The meeting went on for over an hour where General Bipin Rawat briefed Singh about the further course of action. The ongoing border issues between China and India will not likely escalate into another Doklam standoff after military commanders from both sides held talks on Saturday that resulted in positive agreements on peacefully resolving the situation, Chinese experts said on Monday.

However, due to the complexity of the situation, the military standoff could continue for a little longer, they noted. A meeting was held between the Indian Corps Commander based in Leh and the Chinese Commander on Saturday in a cordial and positive atmosphere, according to a statement the Indian Ministry of External Affairs released on Sunday.

Qian Feng, a senior fellow at the Taihe Institute and director of the research department of the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University in Beijing, told the Global Times on Monday that the recent talks involved high-ranking officers from both militaries, indicating that both sides are paying great attention to the situation and do not want to escalate it.