High powered group comprising Doval meets, analyses evolving situation with China

New Delhi, Sep 02: With the tensions with China soaring, the high-powered China Study Group (CSG) held a two hour meeting to review the situation.

The meeting held on Tuesday afternoon was attended by Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff, Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General M M Naravane.

On the other hand, a flag meeting was also held at Chushul-Moldo BPM. This was the second meeting in two days, but there has been no breakthrough as yet.

Sources tell OneIndia that the meeting that was held on Monday was a stormy one.

However both sides decided to continue talking on Tuesday as well. The situation is an evolving one and is being analysed by the minute, the source also said.

This came in the backdrop of a provocative military movement by the Peoples Liberation Army. This attempt was however blocked by the Indian troops at Pangong Tso on Saturday.

The source cited above said that there was no scuffle or contact. The source further added that the Indian troops moved in to occupy the dominating heights on its side of the Line of Actual Control on Saturday on the South Bank of Pangong Tso. This was done after the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance reports suggested that the PLA was attempting move in to occupy the same area.

The Chinese have claimed these heights as theirs. The move by the PLA was foreclosed by our soldiers. They had attempted to change the realities on the ground by intruding into our territory on the southern bank of Pangong Tso. There was no question of a casualty as there was no violent clash a source told OneIndia.

"The PLA violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo," a statement from the Army said.

"Indian troops pre-empted this PLA activity on the southern bank of Pangong Tso Lake, undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on ground. The Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquility through dialogue, but is also equally determined to protect its territorial integrity," the statement also added.