‘Ensure expeditious restoration of peace in border areas’: India urges China

New Delhi underscored that discussions at latest meeting of senior commanders reflected commitment of both sides to reduce tension along LAC.

India on Thursday again urged China to ensure “expeditious restoration” of peace and tranquility in the border areas and honour bilateral agreements in a bid to ease the border standoff in Ladakh sector, where 20 Indian soldiers died in a violent brawl with the Chinese troops on June 15. An unconfirmed number of Chinese soldiers also died in the incident.

An Indian Army convoy crosses a checkpost in Gagangeer along a highway leading to Ladakh, in Ganderbal, Jammu and Kashmir,(Waseem Andrabi / HT File Photo)

“We expect the Chinese side to sincerely follow up and ensure expeditious restoration of peace and tranquillity in border areas as per bilateral agreements and protocols,” Anurag Srivastava, ministry of external affairs spokesperson, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

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New Delhi underscored that discussions at latest meeting of senior commanders reflected commitment of both sides to reduce tension along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Senior Indian and Chinese commanders on Tuesday held a long meeting at Chushul in Ladakh as part of ongoing efforts at the military level to cool heightened border tensions that have soured bilateral ties between the two neighbours, even as the military build-up on both sides of the contested LAC continues unabated, said people familiar with developments.

Tuesday’s meeting took place on the Indian side of the LAC, while the previous two meetings were held at Moldo on the Chinese side.

China has not halted — and instead ramped up — its military activity in Finger Area near Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley and Depsang Plains since the senior officers last met on June 22

On Monday, the Centre banned 59 Chinese-linked apps, saying they were “engaged in activities prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order”.

“While operating in India one has to abide by our rules and regulations issued by relevant ministries and departments, including those pertaining to data security and privacy of individual data,” said the spokesperson on the ban on China apps.

Earlier in the day Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad termed India’s move to ban the China apps a “digital strike”.

“We banned Chinese apps to protect data of countrymen; it was a digital strike,” the telecom and IT minister was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India.

The minister also underlined, much like PM Modi did, that India is for peace but if “somebody casts an evil eye we will give a befitting reply”.

Some of the banned apps are TikTok, UC Browser, CamScanner, WeChat, Weibo, Baidu Map, Xender, among others.

Indian intelligence agencies had been pushing for restrictions on the mobile applications on grounds that the apps were designed to extract data and park them outside the country where they could be used to intrude into the privacy of citizens.