The Chinese People’s Liberation Army has reportedly deployed around 50,000 troops with heavy tanks and artillery at the LAC. China has lined up tanks and infantry combat vehicles opposite the Indian side of Chushul in their territory where the friction points lie. The Chinese Army is reportedly conducting drills within their territory in Tibet but that can be heard on the Indian side of the border

New Delhi: As India and China continue to face-off in the eastern Ladakh region, and military and diplomatic talks for de-escalation seem inconclusive as of today, the Indian Army has given standing instructions to field commanders stationed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that Chinese troops should not be allowed to transgress into our territory ‘at any cost’.

The Army has also directed that soldiers must maintain strict discipline while protecting Indian sovereign land.

The commanders at border outposts have also been asked to exercise restraint while patrolling their respective areas or while undertaking any ‘task’, and that there must not be “extra display of strength” or “overuse of force”, news agency ANI quoted government sources as saying.

Sources also claimed that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army has deployed around 50,000 troops with heavy tanks and artillery at the LAC.

They said that China has lined up tanks and infantry combat vehicles opposite the Indian side of Chushul in their territory where the friction areas lie and they have also brought in a lot of heavy weaponry.

The Chinese Army is reportedly conducting drills within their territory in Tibet but that can be heard on the Indian side of the border at several locations along the LAC that stretches from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh.

India has also strengthened its defences along the forward posts occupied by the Indian Army near Rezang La and Rechen La heights by setting up concertina wires and the Chinese army has been warned of consequences if they even attempt to breach the Indian defence.

Meanwhile, the Indian Army has taken up the issue of Chinese soldiers carrying Guandao blades at Pangong during talks at the Brigade Commander level on Wednesday.