Border situation with China stable: Army chief

The Army Chief said that ceasefire along Line of Control is holding but cross-border support to terrorism remains.

New Delhi, Jan 12: Army Chief General Manoj Pande on Thursday said that the situation along the border with China is stable but unpredictable.

"We have been able to resolve five of the seven issues that were on the table. We continue to talk both at the military and diplomatic levels. We've enough reserves to deal with any contingency," Army chief said.

"In a firm and resolute manner with our soldiers deployed along the LAC, we have been able to prevent any attempts by our adversary to unilaterally change the status quo," he said.

The Army Chief said that ceasefire along Line of Control is holding but cross-border support to terrorism remains.

"Deployment from the adversary side on the northern border continues in the same manner. We've an equal number of troops on our side. There is a slight increase in the number of troops (by China) opposite our eastern command but we are keeping a close watch," the Army chief said.

"We've decided to undertake the transformation of the Indian Army and that essentially span across five key domains starting from force restructuring and optimisation, modernisation and technology infusion and Human resource management philosophy," he said.

"As far as the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, the ceasefire understanding which came about in February 2021 is holding well but cross-border support to terrorism and terror infrastructure however remains," he said.

The Army Chief said that peace has returned to most of the states in the Northeast. "The economic activities and the development initiatives have yielded good results... This Army Day is special as it is also the 75th year of Independence," he added.

Pande said that women officers would be commissioned into the Indian Army's Corps of Artillery.

"Women officers would be commissioned into the Indian Army's Artillery regiment. We have sent the proposal to the government and we hope that it will be accepted," he said.

"We also have the Army Martial Arts Routine (AMAR) which will help in dealing with combat situations. It is an amalgamation of different martial arts in the country," the army chief said.