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‘Ladakh face-off a turning point, India will have to change its China policy’: General VP Malik
The former army chief also said that India has the capability to fight war at two fronts. He said that our soldiers’ ability to fight mountain warfare is better than China’s.
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India has the capability to fight war on two fronts with China and Pakistan, former army chief General VP Malik has said. General Malik was speaking to Hindustan Times’ sister publication Hindustan.
“We can easily fight the war at two fronts. We should not worry too much, our forces have the capability,” General Malik said. He also said that Indian Army’s skill, determination and ability to fight mountain warfare is better than China’s.
The former army chief made these remarks while discussing the stand-off between Indian and Chinese forces in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed.
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“What happened on June 15 is a turning point. India will now have to changes its China policy, not just on the military front but economic and political fronts too,” General Malik said.
When asked about the possibility of a war with China, the former army chief said, “We now have the capabilities. And if this indeed happens, we can fight. We can even take offensive action in some areas. We may have lesser weapons, our forces can efficiently defend India’s borders.”
The stand-off in Galwan Valley began after a unit of Indian soldiers saw Chinese army personnel in the area in violation of the set protocols between the two countries. When the Indian side confronted the Chinese, it resulted in a skirmish and both sides attacked each other with fists and sticks, people aware of the development said.
A Colonel, who was leading the patrol unit, was among those killed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong statement after the incident and said that though India is a peace-loving country, it is capable of giving befitting reply if provoked. He reiterated the firm stance while chairing an all-party meeting on the issue where the prime minister said that Indian territory is intact and that no intruder was on Indian territory across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh had mourned the death of the 20 soldiers, and said that the nation will nevr forget their supreme sacrifice.
Both sides are engaged in the rounds of talsk to defuse the tension in the area.
