The newly-appointed Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Wednesday said that maintaining peace and tranquillity on the northern border is the first step before finalizing a permanent solution to the border conflict with China.
Addressing a press conference after the guard of honour ceremony, he said that peace had been more or less maintained along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, with whom the border dispute is still yet to be settled.
The Indian Army is expected to focus on the northern border in the coming days as much as the western border with Pakistan which continues to see ceasefire violations and infiltration attempts.
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Chinese intrusions into Indian territory, especially in the Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh regions are often reported. This happens due to a border that hasn’t been demarcated and differing perceptions of the LAC. However, since 1993, there have been mechanisms in place to deal with such incursions in a peaceful manner.
The army chief also pointed out that maintenance of human rights is a key policy of the force and at no point shall it ever condone human rights violations.
Modernization of the forces and better procurement of defence goods will also be a key issue that the new COAS will face during his tenure.