Diplomacy it is: Delhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 18

Amid the continuing stand-off on Doklam, India today reiterated it will continue to engage with China to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution while emphasising that peace and tranquillity on the border is an important pre-requisite for “smooth bilateral relationship’’.

In response to a question, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar underscored New Delhi’s standpoint on the issue that remains unresolved since India prevented Chinese troops from building a road in the tri-junction border with Bhutan.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Reacting to reported incident between Indian border personnel and Chinese troops in Ladakh on August 15, the spokesperson said without elaborating on its nature, “Such incidents are not in the interest of either side.”

Under the existing agreed system in place, he said two border personnel meetings took place at Chushul and Nathu La between the Indian border guards and Chinese troops.

When a correspondent referred to the incident as stone pelting, the spokesperson clarified he was not confirming it to be either stone pelting or use of rods.

Published reports said troops on either clashed with fisticuffs and stone-pelting resulting in some personnel receiving injuries after land-based patrols on either side came face to face north of Pangong Tso lake in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir.

To a question on the current floods in eastern parts of India and sharing of hydrological data from China, Kumar said although the arrangement was for Beijing to share data on flow of rivers Brahmaputra and Sutlej between May 15 and October 15, no data has been received this year till now.

He, however, said non-sharing of such data by China could not be linked to the current standoff as there could be technical reasons for it.