Ladakh: India has asserted that Chinese bridges on Pangong Lake are illegal and asserted that it has neither accepted illegal occupation on its territory nor such construction activities on its territory by China. Earlier on Thursday MEA said it is monitoring the situation along Pangong Tso, where the Chinese side has reportedly built a “second bridge”.
In response to media queries regarding reports of a second bridge being constructed across Pangong Lake by China, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “We have seen reports of a bridge being constructed by China on Pangong Lake alongside its earlier bridge. Both these bridges are in areas that have continued to be under the illegal occupation of China since the 1960s.
We have made it clear on several occasions that the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral part of India and we expect other countries to respect India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Bagchi informed.
“The Government remains committed to the objective of creating infrastructure along the border areas to not only meet India’s strategic and security requirements but also facilitate the economic development of these areas. And of course, Government keeps a constant watch on all developments that have a bearing on India security and takes all necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Bagchi said.
Earlier on Thursday MEA said it is monitoring the situation along Pangong Tso, where the Chinese side has reportedly built a “second bridge”.
Reports suggested that such a bridge would facilitate faster mobilisation of Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops in case of a conflict. According to reports, the bridge is about 20 km from the LAC.