Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said on Sunday that situations similar to the ongoing standoff over Doklam Plateau between Indian and Chinese troops could recur in the future, adding that Indian troops should remain on guard, Times of India reported.

According to the Indian daily, the army chief said that even if Beijing and New Delhi arrive at a resolution regarding the current standoff, "our troops on the border should not feel it cannot happen again".

"My message to the troops is to not let down [their] guard," TOI quoted the army chief as saying.

The current border tension was triggered by the construction of a road by China in the Doklam area. New Delhi has maintained that the road construction will threaten its national security.

The army chief said that India and China have been unable to arrive at a resolution regarding the tense ongoing standoff between their troops due to different ideas about how it should be carried out, adding that the matter should be "dealt with at diplomatic and political levels," TOI reported.

According to the daily, the Indian army chief noted that the capabilities of Chinese armed forces had progressed and Beijing's influence in the region has been increasing as it developed economic and defence ties with neighbouring countries, such as Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

He maintained that the China Pakistan Economic Corridor ─ a flagship project of Beijing's One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative ─ is a violation of its sovereignty. India has remained incensed that projects under CPEC cut through the Gilgit-Baltistan region.

The border trouble began in June when Chinese soldiers started to extend a road through the Doklam territory ─ known as “Donglang” in Chinese. The tense standoff between India and China has only escalated since then, raising concerns in both capitals of an all-out military conflict. Both sides have made threats while simultaneously calling for negotiations.

Opinion

Editorial

Smog hazard
Updated 05 Nov, 2024

Smog hazard

The catastrophe unfolding in Lahore is a product of authorities’ repeated failure to recognise environmental impact of rapid urbanisation.
Monetary policy
05 Nov, 2024

Monetary policy

IN an aggressive move, the State Bank on Monday reduced its key policy rate by a hefty 250bps to 15pc. This is the...
Cultural power
05 Nov, 2024

Cultural power

AS vital modes of communication, art and culture have the power to overcome social and international barriers....
Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.