New Delhi, 03 July: Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Army’s Nimu Forward Post at an altitude of 11,000 feet on the banks of Indus River in Leh and interacted with Army personnel.
He was accompanied by Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Chief of Army Staff General MM Narwane.
Senior Army officials briefed the Prime Minister on the situation at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) of East Ladakh.
The Prime Minister also met Ladakh Governor RK Mathur.
The Prime Minister Modi also addressed a gathering of soldiers there.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s sudden arrival in Leh has sent a strong message to China.
PM Modi is scheduled to hold a big meeting in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) this evening after returning from Leh. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and senior army officers will also be present in this meeting.
Restless China’s reaction
China’s uneasiness has come to light after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s sudden arrival in Leh. In the midst of his presence in Ladakh, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has said in a statement that no party should do anything that worsens the atmosphere.
In the daily briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Linjian said that India and China are constantly engaged in reducing the ongoing tension on the border through military and diplomatic negotiations. No party should do anything that creates tension on the border.
The PM Modi understood the entire map of Ladakh
Prime Minister Modi’s sudden arrival to Leh is considered a strong message for China and Pakistan.
However, today only Bipin Rawat was supposed to come on this tour but the Prime Minister surprised everyone by reaching out with him.
The PM held talks with ITBP, Army and Air Force personnel near Leh in Ladakh. Senior Army officials briefed the Prime Minister on the situation in the Line of Actual Control (LAC) of East Ladakh. During this time, Modi also understood the entire map of Ladakh from Bipin Rawat and got information about the ground reality of Indo-China border.
CDS Bipin Rawat told PM Modi that which parts of India, China has occupied and on which parts China claimed to be its territory, and also told where China is trying to infiltrate into Indian Territory.
When the Prime Minister suddenly arrived among them to raise the morale of the soldiers amid tension from China, the soldiers welcomed him with slogans of ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’.
Returning from the Ladakh border, the Prime Minister went to the Army Hospital in Leh where injured soldiers’s treatment is underway.
It is noteworthy that twenty Indian soldiers were martyred and many more injured in bloody brawl with Chinese soldiers in Galwan Valley on the night of 15/16 June.
PM Modi learned about the health of these jawans and also encouraged them.
Importance of Nimu Forward Post
The Nimu post that Prime Minister Modi visited today is situated at an altitude of 11 thousand feet above sea level and is considered to be one of the tallest and most dangerous posts in the world.
This area is situated on the banks of the Indus River where the Indus and Zanskar rivers merge.
It is from here that the Indus River moves northwestwards towards Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
India built a Nimu-Bazgo hydroelectric project here in a village called Alachi, which was opposed by Pakistan. The area lies on the route from Leh to Kargil and is part of the Likir tehsil of Leh district.
As a very inaccessible region, the area also has strategic importance in terms of Aksai Chin and PoK. The temperature is 40 degrees in summer and -29 degrees in winter.
