China has released 10 Indian soldiers which it had detained during the violent clashes in Galwan Valley of Ladakh
After almost 4 days of martyrdom of 20 Indian soldiers, China today, i.e., Friday, June 19, 2020 released 10 Indian soldiers which it had detained during the violent clashes in Galwan Valley of Ladakh on June 15, 2020.
Negotiations from all channels, diplomatic and military led to the release of detained soldiers. The 10 soldiers were sent for a medical examination and were found to be in good health.
The soldiers are being debriefed by senior officials at Leh, the headquarters of the Army’s 14 Corps. The debriefing is a formatted military narration of what they went through in Chinese captivity. This will form the basis of what really happened during those three days. This will help Indian Army in understanding the military posturing and conduct of the Chinese troops.
The negotiations for their release were kept tightly under wraps due to concerns for the safety of the soldiers amid the heightened tensions between the two sides.
However, China has denied holding 10 Indian soldiers captive. The claim was made by the Director of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Information Department – Zhao Lijian, during the daily press briefing.
Speaking on the occasion, Zhao said, “Regarding the serious situation in Galwan valley, right and wrong is very clear and the responsibility entirely lies with the Indian side. India and China are in talks to ease the situation.”
76 Indian soldiers were injured in the clash and were immediately sent for medical treatment. All of them are expected to return to duty within 15 days. No one is in critical condition. During the clash, Indian soldiers were assaulted with iron rods and clubs wrapped in barbed wire laced with nails.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of India – Narendra Modi chaired the all-party meet today evening, to discuss the India-Chia stand-off. The virtual meeting was attended by 20 political parties. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) were not invited for the meeting. Also present in the meeting were the Defence Minister of India – Rajnath Singh and the Minister of External Affairs – Dr. S. Jaishankar.
Modi informed all the senior leaders that India wants peace and friendship, but upholding sovereignty is foremost. PM Modi highlighted that his Government has given primacy to development of border area infrastructure to make India’s borders more secure. Provision for fighter planes, modern helicopters, missile defence systems and other such needs of our forces have also been made. He also mentioned that patrolling capacity at LAC has also increased.
He assured the leaders that Indian armed forces are leaving no stone unturned to protect the country. He emphasized that the country today has such capability that no one can even dare look towards an inch of our land.
Most importantly, he assured that neither anyone has intruded into our territory nor took over any post.
Speaking on the occasion, Modi said, “Neither have they intruded into our border nor has any post been taken over by them (China). 20 of our jawans were martyred, but those who dared Bharat Mata, they were taught a lesson.
He further added, “Whether it is deployment, action, counter-action…air, land or sea, whatever our armed forces have to do to protect our country they will do.”
Rajnath Singh also informed the leaders that there has been no intelligence failure with regards to the violent clash.
During the meeting, the Shiv Sena leader – Uddhav Thackeray said that the entire country is one. He said, “This is the feeling. We are with you, PM. We are with our forces and their families. India wants peace but that doesn’t mean we are weak. China’s nature is betrayal. India is ‘Mazboot’ (strong) not ‘Majboor’ (helpless).”
