Chinese belligerence causing mutual distrust: Army Chief
Indian Army chief Gen MM Naravane on Friday said that the rising footprints of China in India's neighbourhood and its attempts to 'unilaterally alter the status-quo' along the disputed borders have created an environment of 'confrontation and mutual distrust'.
FollowIndian Army chief Gen MM Naravane on Friday said that the rising footprints of China in India's neighbourhood and its attempts to 'unilaterally alter the status-quo' along the disputed borders have created an environment of 'confrontation and mutual distrust'.
"Regional and internal connectivity is acutely linked to security. It is central to unleashing the potential of the North East and balancing the influence of China. With the failure to deliver on promises, the delivery deficit has plagued our efforts at improving regional connectivity," the Indian Army chief said while speaking at a webinar organised by United Service Institution of India and the Assam Rifles on 'Evolving security challenges in the northeast and way forward'.
The Kaladan multimodal transport project and the trilateral highway have both seen cost and time overruns, he noted.
Gen Naravane also said that the resultant Sino-US rivalry has created regional imbalances and instability as the regional security environment is characterised by Chinese 'belligerence' in the Indo-Pacific, its hostility towards weaker nations and relentless drive to create regional dependencies through initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative.
Nepal
"Nepal, our traditional long term partner, which has witnessed heavy Chinese investment, is going through a period of political volatility," he said.
North EastÂ
Speaking about the North East, Gen Naravane said that based on the contemporary security situation, the entire North East region was divided into pockets of least resistance, partial resistance and pockets of active resistance to roll out a phased disengagement plan of the Army from the Counter Insurgency deployment.Â
The red belt along the India-Myanmar border requires a permanent Army and Assam Rifles grid for effective border management, he added.
He said the force calibration has already resulted in disengagement of 14 Infantry Battalions.Â
"Two Division headquarters that were earlier part of the CI grid are now solely focusing on their operational role along the Northern borders. This has been a significant achievement. The operational responsibility of these areas has now been taken over by the Assam Rifles," the Army chief said.
"A series of operations under 'Operation Sunrise' with Myanmar Army have witnessed growing cooperation and synergy between the soldiers on the ground with reasonable operational dividends," he added.
Bhutan and BangladeshÂ
The Army chief said while Bhutan has been cautious in its approach, "we have seen an upswing in our relations with Bangladesh."
India is celebrating Swarnim Vijay Varsh to commemorate its splendid victory over Pakistan in the 1971 War for Liberation of Bangladesh.Â
"The ongoing dynamics in these neighbouring countries directly impact the security environment in India’s North East. A large number of initiatives are already underway to leverage military diplomacy with our Eastern Command playing the spring-board for fostering stronger bilateral relations," Gen Naravane said.
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