Mumbai: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said the disengagement of troops at Depsang and Demchok in Ladakh is the first step, and it is expected that India will return to the 2020 patrolling status.
The next step is de-escalation, which will not happen until India is sure that the same is happening on the other side as well, the EAM said, obviously referring to China.
Earlier this week, India announced it had reached an agreement with China on patrolling along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, a major breakthrough in ending the over four-year-long military standoff.
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Jaishankar said consensus has been achieved on patrolling and disengagement in Depsang and Demchok.
“It is obvious it will take time to implement the same. This is the issue of disengagement and patrolling which meant our armies had come very close to each other and now they have gone back to their bases. We hope the 2020 status is restored,” he said.
The completion of disengagement is the first step. The next step is de-escalation which will not happen until India is sure that the same is happening on the other side as well, the External Affairs Minister said.
“After de-escalation, how to manage the borders will be discussed,” he added.
India will respond heavily if Mumbai-like terror attack recurs: EAM Jaishankar
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said that there was no response from the Indian side after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, and asserted that it won’t be the case if such an incident were to recur.
“We should not have a repeat of what happened in Mumbai. That there was a terror attack and there was no response,” Jaishankar told reporters in Mumbai.
“Mumbai is a symbol of counter-terrorism for India and the world,” the minister said.
When India was a member of the UN Security Council, it was chairing the counter-terrorism committee, Jaishankar said. “We held the counter-terrorism panel meeting in the same hotel that was hit by the terror attack,” he added.
“People know that India is standing strong against terrorism. We are today leaders in fighting terrorism,” Jaishankar said.
“When we talk of zero tolerance against terror, it is clear that when somebody does something, there will be a response,” he said.
“We also have to expose. It is not acceptable that you are doing business during daytime and indulging in terror during the night and I have to pretend that everything is okay.
“This India will not accept it. This is what has changed,” the minister said.
“We will expose terrorism and we will act where we have to act,” he added.
