More than a year after India and Pakistan agreed on a ceasefire along the Line of Control, Indian Army chief General M M Naravane has said that “ceasefire violations along the border are in no one’s interest” and India is “more than keen to have good relations with Pakistan”, but “they (Pakistan) have to first rein in their support to terrorism and attempts to draw international attention to J&K”.
This is the strongest endorsement of the ceasefire between the two countries and a positive articulation from the Indian Army chief, weeks after Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa said the situation on the LoC has been “fairly peaceful” the past year and Pakistan stands ready to address the Kashmir issue with India through diplomacy and dialogue.
In an exclusive interview to an English daily, General Naravane, who demits office Saturday, said: "When your neighbouring country is unstable, it doesn't help. Instability in our neighbourhood doesn't help. Let's hope that our western neighbour sees the light of reason. We are more than keen to have good relations with them, but they have to first rein in their support to terrorism and attempts to draw international attention to J&K."
On the India-Pakistan ceasefire, he said: "Ceasefire violations along the border are in no one's interest. Peace and tranquility all around us is our aim. If the neighbourhood is stable, then we automatically as a nation become safer... The civilian population along the LoC has greatly benefited from the ceasefire, and their quality of life has improved."
Underlining that events of 2020 brought about a paradigm shift in force posturing in eastern Ladakh by both sides, General Naravane said the Chinese troop strength increased from 8,000 to 60,000 opposite eastern Ladakh and "our own deployment is in equal measure". He said the Indian Army is "well poised to counter any belligerent actions of the PLA in the future".
Asked why did the Galwan incident happen -- 20 Indian Army personnel were killed in Galwan Valley in June 2020 -- he said: "We have been asking ourselves this question as well for the past two years about China's move, but have not been able to fathom why this (Galwan incident) happened. Was it due to internal or external dynamics or pressure regarding the Covid pandemic which led China to take this step? We don't know."
On the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war and its impact on defence supplies, he said India is "dependent on both Ukraine and Russia" but has always maintained a buffer in stocks and, therefore, will not be impacted in the near-term.
He used an analogy to explain India's defence stocks. "Just as an analogy... we all keep two months of salary in our bank accounts as a buffer, in case we lose our jobs due to some reason. So we too have buffer stocks," he said, adding that "in case we continue to conserve our equipment, the stocks will last longer".
(With inputs from agencies)