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NEW DELHI, SEP 14: China has reduced the deployment of troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in 2025, a latest report by the defence ministry said. “The year 2025 witnessed significant reduction in deployment of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) forces opposite Northern Borders, with 10 Combined Arms Brigade size forces each deployed in areas along the LAC and in traditional training areas,” it said. The report said the deployment of the Indian Army in “all sectors along the LAC is robust, well poised and prepared to deal with any emerging contingency.” The relations between India and China had come under severe strain following the deadly Galwan Valley clashes in 2020. After over four years of frosty ties, the two countries began to repair relations following a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Russian city of Kazan in October 2024 that took place after the face-off in eastern Ladakh ended. Modi and Xi held wide-ranging talks on August 31 last year on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the Chinese city of Tianjin. In the last few months, the two sides have taken a series of measures to rebuild their relationship. Modi and Xi held another meeting on Saturday on the margins of the BRICS summit in New Delhi. In the meeting, the prime minister conveyed to the Chinese President that peace and tranquillity along the frontier remain an “essential” basis for development of India-China relations, even as the two leaders welcomed “steady progress” in the bilateral ties. The defence ministry report also made a mention of Operation Sindoor, saying it was not just an operational success but a strategic statement. “The operation not only showcased our unmatched multi-domain capability, strategic foresight and restraint of our armed forces, but also highlighted India’s sustained focus on capability development; from intelligence dominance to cutting-edge technology and joint operational readiness,” it said. “After the operation, India has undertaken a comprehensive review of capability voids with clear focus on force restructuring, enhancing jointness and integrating emerging technologies,” it said. (Source: PTI)    

MUMBAI, SEP 13: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said BJP-led NDA governments in 21 states will introduce Uniform Civil Code (UCC) before 2029. Shah was speaking to reporters here while highlighting the achievements of the Centre over the last 12 years and the BJP’s 25-year journey under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. “Triple talaq has been abolished, giving Muslim women equal rights. We have introduced the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in several states and I am confident that in the 21 BJP-NDA ruled states, we will introduce the UCC before 2029,” Shah said. The next Lok Sabha polls are scheduled for 2029. He said the government had strengthened the country’s criminal justice system through the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and claimed that several states had recorded a 30 per cent increase in the conviction rate in a single year. He also said a system was being established to ensure justice could be delivered within three years. On national security, Shah said the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A had been achieved without a single drop of blood being shed or a bullet being fired, and asserted that Kashmir was now fully integrated with India. He said the government had ended five decades of Naxalism and signed more than 14 peace agreements in the country’s North-East region. “More than 9,000 people have surrendered and today we have taken the North-East on the path of development,” Shah said. He said surgical strikes, air strikes and Operation Sindoor have established a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism. On being asked whether the 1951 baseline would be used for implementing National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Manipur, Shah said the Centre was holding discussions with its allies and political parties on the issue. “We are discussing these issues with our allies and also with the political parties of Manipur. Whatever decision is taken, we will inform you,” he said. Asked about illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators and their detection in cities such as Mumbai, Shah said the government would not disclose the tools used to identify them. “You are asking the Home Minister to make the tools public and tell you how it will be done. Then how will we catch them? They will also come to know,” he quipped. Shah reiterated the government’s resolve to identify and deport illegal infiltrators from the country. “I repeat our resolve that we will take out each and every illegal infiltrator from this country, identifying them one by one and sending them out,” he said. On the government’s anti-drugs campaign, Shah said he had recently launched the ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan’ and would visit every state as part of the campaign. He said he had spoken to a chief minister the previous day and a full-day meeting would be held to ensure the campaign reaches the grassroots. “It will definitely reach the grassroots and India will achieve victory over drugs,” Shah said. (Source: PTI)  

NEW DELHI, SEP 12: Saturday conveyed to Chinese President Xi Jinping that peace and tranquillity along the frontier remains essential for development of India-China relations, emphasising that existing agreements on border management must be strictly observed. In their talks on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, the two leaders reaffirmed that both the countries should take a strategic and long-term perspective of their ties and differences should not become disputes, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). On economic front, Modi and Xi underlined the need to address each other’s concerns, including structural trade imbalance and supply chain issues, and facilitation of meaningful and predictable market access, it said. The two leaders expressed commitment to a “fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable” resolution of the boundary question proceeding from the political perspective of their overall bilateral relations and the long-term interests of the two sides, it said. In his remarks, PM Modi highlighted that both sides must be “guided by three mutuals — mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest” in the ties. The meeting took place hours after Xi arrived in the national capital on a two-day visit to attend the BRICS summit, marking his first trip to India in seven years. Xi’s visit to India came on the heels of several high-level exchanges, including the Special Representative dialogue in Beijing between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, even as lingering concerns remain over aggressive Chinese military posturing along the Arunachal Pradesh sector. Modi and Xi held wide-ranging talks on August 31 last year on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Chinese city of Tianjin. In the last few months, the two sides have taken a series of measures to rebuild their relationship after it came under severe strain following the deadly Galwan Valley clashes in 2020. The MEA said the two leaders welcomed the steady progress in India-China relations since their last meeting in Tianjin and reaffirmed that “both countries should take a strategic and long-term perspective of their ties”. “The prime minister emphasised that peace and tranquillity in the border areas remains an essential basis for the continued development of bilateral relations,” it said. “He underlined the need for both sides to observe existing agreements and understandings on border related issues,” it added. The MEA said the “two leaders took note of the progress in people-to-people ties and underscored the need to further promote cultural exchanges, business linkages and greater mobility between the two countries.” “The two leaders agreed that both sides must continue to expand common ground on regional and global issues, and in addressing challenges,” it said. The prime minister appreciated China’s support for India’s BRICS chairship and its contributions towards the success of the grouping’s summit. In his televised opening remarks, Xi said Beijing has always viewed the development of India-China relations from a “strategic and long-term perspective”. “Although our national conditions differ, we can fully support each other and pursue common development path,” he said in Mandarin. “Faced with a complex and intertwined international situation, China and India — as the world’s two most populous countries and key members of the Global South — shoulder significant responsibilities,” he said. “Both sides should keep the future of humanity and the well-being of our people in mind. We must join hands to promote cooperation and strive for an inclusive economic future,” he said. After over four years of frosty ties over the eastern Ladakh military standoff, India and China began to repair the relations following a meeting between Modi and Xi in the Russian city of Kazan in October 2024 that took place after the face-off ended. The talks between Modi and Xi covered a range of issues including reducing their trade deficit, tackling challenges like terrorism and ensuring fair trade in multilateral platforms. (Source: PTI)  

NEW DELHI, SEP 8: The Indian and Chinese armies held their first high-level commanders’ flag talks in two sessions on both sides of the frontier in the Arunachal Pradesh sector this week in line with the outcome reached at last month’s Special Representatives dialogue in Beijing, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval had held the Special Representatives (SR) talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that focused on delimitation of the frontier and sustaining work on trans-boundary cooperation as well as to maintain peace along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Senior Highest Military Commander-Level Flag Meeting was held at Wacha on the Indian side in Arunachal Pradesh on September 6 and Damai on the Chinese side on September 7. The talks were held amid reports of aggressive military posturing by Chinese troops along the LAC in Upper Subansiri region of Arunachal Pradesh. “Pursuant to the understandings reached between the Special Representatives of India and China in August 2025 and August 2026, and subsequent discussions at the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination meetings held in Beijing and New Delhi in May and August 2026 respectively, the first Senior Highest Military Commander-Level Flag Meeting was held at Wacha on the Indian side in Arunachal Pradesh on September 6 and Damai on the Chinese side on September 7,” Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing. “A similar mechanism also exists in the Western Sector,” he said. Jaiswal also said that ties between India and China are gradually moving towards “positive direction”. In his remarks at the SR meeting, Doval said that normalcy in the ties has been a direct result of both sides maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas. The Indian side highlighted the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas for the continued development and progress of the bilateral relationship, the MEA had said on the SR talks. Both Doval and Wang are the designated SRs for the boundary talks mechanism, which was established in 2003 to comprehensively address the dispute of the India-China border spanning 3,488 km. In the last few months, the two sides have taken a series of measures to rebuild their relationship after it came under severe strain following the deadly Galwan Valley clashes in 2020. The high-level military talks were held days ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to India to attend the BRICS summit. Xi is likely to land in New Delhi on Saturday. (Source: PTI)