*New Delhi:* For the first time in history, Indian and Chinese Militariestake an unprecedented step.
India and China have agreed to set up a military hotline between IndianArmy`s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) and Western TheatreCommand (WTC) of the Chinese People`s Liberation Army, said Indian ArmyChief General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Saturday.
General Naravane said that the proposal for the hotline has been acceptedby both sides after all procedural issues were resolved.
During an annual press conference, the Army Chief said: “As far as thehotline between India and China is concerned, proposals have been in thepipeline for a long time. The proposal has been accepted and proceduralaspects have been ironed out. I am glad to say that we have now resolvedthe issue.”
The hotline faced several roadblocks in the past because of the differingviews of both sides. The Indian Army had been maintaining that this hotlineshould be between its DGMO and his equivalent in the PLA. China, however,proposed that as the Western Theatre Command is responsible for the frontwith India, therefore its commander should engage with the Indian DGMO.
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Both sides see hotlines as a necessity for better interaction between theirarmies and to defuse tensions caused by differing perceptions of the Lineof Actual Control.
General Naravane also stated that both borders, including Northern andWestern, are equally significant and stressed that the advanced weaponssystems are being deployed and infrastructure improved along the Chineseborder.
