Army chief General Manoj Pande on Thursday sent a strong message to India's neighbors, asserting that New Delhi has enough reserves in its arsenal to deal with any kind of contingency at its northern borders.
"Though unpredictable, the situation at the northern borders is stable and under control. We have been able to resolve five of the seven issues on the table in the talk as our preparedness is of very high level and we have enough reserves to deal with any contingency," General Pande said in a press conference held to kickstart Army Day celebrations in New Delhi.
Every year, India's Army Day is celebrated on January 15.
Lt. Gen. Pande also revealed that while there was a slight increase in Chinese soldiers along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Indian troops were closely monitoring the situation at the country's northern border.
Tawang Clash on December 9
The head of the second-largest military in the world also lauded Indian soldiers for their efforts in securing the border.
"In a firm and resolute manner with our soldiers deployed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), we have been able to prevent any attempts by (the) adversary to unilaterally change the status quo in a robust manner," he elaborated.
The soldiers of the two armies engaged in a violent clash in the Tawang sector on December 9, which resulted in injuries on both sides, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh told parliament days after the scuffle.
This was the first major confrontation between the two Asian giants since the deadly 2020 Galwan clash in the Ladakh region, in which 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers died.
Army Remains on Alert
India and China share a 3,488 km border, spanning from Ladakh in the north to Arunachal Pradesh state in the northeast.
The border remains demarcated between the two countries. A 1914 pact between erstwhile Tibet, the then-Chinese government, and colonial British authorities defining the border was disregarded by the Communist Party of China, which came to power in 1949.
General Pande revealed that the situation along the western border with Pakistan has improved considerably after the nations declared a ceasefire in February 2021.
At the same time, India should "remain alert," because Pakistan has neither dismantled terror infrastructure, nor stopped supporting militants, the general said.