Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat on Wednesday spoke about the threat of a combined challenge from Pakistan and China from two fronts and warned the western neighbour against any “misadventure” to take advantage of the tensions along the Line of Actual Control.

General Rawat said India was prepared to respond and warned Pakistan of “heavy losses”. On China, he said that although it had resorted to aggressive action along the LAC despite border management protocols, India was “capable of dealing with this in all possible ways”.

The general’s statement on the combined threat from China and Pakistan came a week after he had said India was “prepared for military actions” if the diplomatic and military talks with China did not yield results.

On Thursday, speaking at a webinar organised by a US think tank in Delhi, Rawat said Pakistan could take advantage of India’s border standoff with China to attempt a misadventure. “If any threat develops around our northern borders, Pakistan could take advantage of that and create some trouble for us. We have taken adequate precautions to ensure that any such adventure by Pakistan is thwarted.… In fact, they may suffer heavy losses should they attempt any misadventure,” Rawat said.

On China, he said: “We have border management protocols with China but of late we have been seeing aggressive actions by the Chinese. But we are capable of dealing with this in all possible ways.”

Rawat said that Chinese economic cooperation with Islamabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir was continuing with diplomatic support and mandated high level of preparations on India’s part.

“Infrastructure development in Tibet, development of strategic railway lines and military reforms by China are being studied by us,” he said.
India, Rawat said, was seeking US collaboration in technology development, especially in aerospace and artificial intelligence. “We are looking at info-sharing and continued supply of high-tech battlefield systems from the US,” the general said in response to the question whether the US could help in the current conflict with China.

Naravane in Ladakh

The army chief, General M.M. Naravane, on Wednesday arrived in Ladakh on a two-day visit. He reviewed the security situation along the LAC.

Later in the day, Indian Air Force chief R.K.S. Bhadauria visited frontline air bases at the eastern air command in Meghalaya and reviewed the operational preparedness of the combat units.

Sources in the defence ministry said the army chief was briefed by the senior field commanders of the northern command on the prevailing ground situation along the LAC.

“During his two-day visit, General Naravane will review the operational preparedness of the troops who are locked in a standoff with Chinese soldiers for over four months now. He is likely to visit frontline posts near the south bank of Pangong Lake that has witnessed fresh rounds of confrontation between the armies of India and China,” said a defence ministry official.

Over the weekend, tensions have escalated after Chinese troops attempted to change the status quo in eastern Ladakh — first on the intervening night of August 29-30 and again on September 1 — but were thwarted by Indian soldiers.