Incidents like Doka La stand-off likely to 'increase': Army Chief Bipin Rawat

Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has said that China is attempting to "change the status quo" at its border with India, adding that incidents like the ongoing stand-off in the Doka La area are likely to "increase" in future.

In an event organised by the Department of Defence and Strategic Studies of Savitribai Phule Pune University, the Army Chief said, "The recent stand-off in the Doklam plateau by the Chinese side attempting to change the status quo are issues that we need to be wary about, and I think such kind of incidents are likely to increase in the future."

General Rawat also said that transgressions across the Line of 'Actual' Control do happen and they lead to some kind of misunderstanding between the forward troops.

He further stated, "However, we do have joint mechanisms in place to address such situations."

He also said that during the flag meetings with the Chinese counterparts, the Indian Army keeps insisting that both sides should return to the pre-June 16 positions, before the stand-off began, but no resolution has been found yet.
"Now it is happening at the diplomatic and political level, as it needs to be resolved diplomatically and through political initiatives," Rawat said.

On Pakistan
"Pakistan's unabated alliance to the Jihadi groups has serious ramifications to our security. This can lead to the possibility of Pakistan being a conduit for the eastward spread of fundamentalistic and Islamic ideologies," he also said.

Rawat also said that the neighbourhood continues to have 'proxy wars' in Jammu and Kashmir, adding, "This design entails employing non-state actors attempts are being made to expand infiltration attacks attempts across borders in other states as well along India's western frontier."