'Disengagement and de-escalation' the way forward: Rajnath Singh on eastern Ladakh stand-off

New Delhi: Amidst the four-year long China-India stand-off in eastern Ladakh, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said “disengagement and de-escalation” would be the way forward and talks would continue for a peaceful resolution of the crisis.

The minister also asked the Indian Army to be prepared for hybrid wars as domains like cyber, information, communication, trade and finance would become an inseparable part of future conflicts.

“While troops are standing firm, the ongoing talks for peaceful resolution will continue and disengagement and de-escalation is the way forward,” the minister said on the scenario along the northern borders at the Army Commanders Conference.

Indian and Chinese troops are locked in confrontation in certain friction points in eastern Ladakh since April-May 2020 even as the two sides completed disengagement from a few other areas following extensive diplomatic and military talks.

More than 50,000 troops from the two sides have been deployed by the two countries near the Line of Actual Control (LAC). New Delhi is also slowly improving the infrastructure in anticipation of a long haul.

A proposal to provide 4G connectivity to 355 forward posts has been approved, while 105 forward locations will receive electricity supply.

The two countries have held 21 rounds of dialogues at the Corps Commander level to find solutions to thorny issues, but are yet to come up with a breakthrough.

Simultaneously, there has been a continuing diplomatic engagement with New Delhi and Beijing participating in 29^th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China border affairs last week.

Delving into the complex world situation, Singh said such geo-political realities affected everyone globally.

"Unconventional and asymmetric warfare, including hybrid war, will be part of the future conventional wars. Cyber, information, communication, trade and finance have all become an inseparable part of future conflicts. This necessitates that the armed forces will have to keep all these facets in consideration while planning and formulating strategies," he said.