After Saturday’s (June 6) meeting between top Indian and Chinese military commanders in Ladakh, the Ministry of External Affairs said that “the two sides will continue the military and diplomatic engagements to resolve the situation and to ensure peace and tranquility in the border areas”.
The unresolved situation on the disputed Sino-Indian border in Ladakh has been ongoing for more than a month, and tensions have not subsided.
When did we first hear of tensions between India and China on the LAC?
The first official acknowledgment of tensions on the border came on May 10, when the Army issued a statement about clashes between Indian and Chinese patrols at two places.
In Naku La in Sikkim, on May 9, a Chinese patrol on the Indian side of the LAC was confronted by an Indian patrol which led to a clash.
The Army also acknowledged a more serious incident that took place on the night of May 5-6 in the Pangong Tso lake area, during which soldiers from both sides were injured.
Here is what we know about the broad contours of the crisis.
On May 14, Army Chief General M M Naravane said that “both these incidents are neither co-related nor do they have any connection with other global or local activities”.
These statements were followed by a couple of answers in the briefings of the spokesperson of the MEA acknowledging the situation in Ladakh, but without providing any details. Similar statements were made by the spokesperson of the Chinese foreign ministry in his briefing.
