Want peace, ready for war: Rajnath Singh lists pacts China has violated
India TodayIn his statement on the India-China faceoff in eastern Ladakh, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today delivered a well-calibrated message that the government is committed to peace but also prepared for combat. Informing Parliament about the current situation, Rajnath Singh said, "As of now, the Chinese side has mobilised a large number of troops and armaments along the LAC as well as in the depth areas. The two agreements that Rajnath Singh repeatedly mentioned in his statement -- 1993 and 1996 agreements -- marked the first formal pacts between India and China to ensure military peace between the two countries. "If the border defence forces of the two sides come to a face-to-face situation in areas where there is no common understanding of the Line of Actual Control, both sides shall exercise maximum self-restraint, refrain from any provocative actions, not use force or threaten to use force against the other side, treat each other with courtesy and prevent exchange of fire or armed conflict," it says. Rajnath Singh said China reneged on bilateral agreements post-April by making massive troop deployment near the LAC, and attempting transgressions to change the status quo in the region.