Jaishankar lauds fusion of military and diplomatic leadership
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday lauded India’s effective combination of military resolve and diplomatic engagement in addressing the recent breakthrough in patrolling along the LAC with China
Pune: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday lauded India’s effective combination of military resolve and diplomatic engagement in addressing the recent breakthrough in patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
Interacting with students in Pune, Jaishankar detailed India’s efforts to achieve disengagement with China in eastern Ladakh, emphasising the gradual path toward normalisation in bilateral relations.
“It is still early to rebuild trust completely,” Jaishankar said, noting that “when Prime Minister Narendra Modi met President Xi Jinping at the BRICS summit in Russia, it was agreed that both countries’ foreign ministers and National Security Advisors would strategise the way forward.”
Earlier this week, India announced it had reached an agreement with China on patrolling along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, in a breakthrough in ending the over four-year-long military standoff.
Highlighting India’s firm stance, the foreign minister said, “If today we have reached where we have, it is because of a determined effort to stand our ground. The military endured unimaginable conditions at the LAC to defend the country, and diplomacy played its part.”
Jaishankar explained that disengagement is the immediate priority given the proximity of troops and the associated risks. Beyond this, the next steps include de-escalation and broader discussions on managing the border and negotiating boundary settlements.
“Currently, we’re focused on disengagement. On October 21, an understanding was reached at Depsang and Demchok, resuming patrolling as it was before the standoff,” he said.
Jaishankar also highlighted India’s decade-long improvements in border infrastructure, pointing to “five times more resources annually than a decade ago,” enabling effective military deployment. “The combination of these factors has brought us to where we are now,” he added.
During the event, Jaishankar also addressed questions on India-Canada relations, denouncing recent actions by the Canadian government targeting Indian diplomats. “We completely reject the manner in which our high commissioner and diplomats have been treated. Certain political forces in Canada are empowering a small extremist minority, which is harmful not only for India but for Canada itself,” he said.
Jaishankar noted that India had raised concerns over organised crime in Canada long before current tensions, pointing to the negative impact of Canada’s “permissive atmosphere.”
“This is a political issue tied to specific forces within Canada, and we hope more responsible voices prevail. Our countries have strong economic ties and a shared population of students and people of Indian origin,” he observed, expressing disappointment over the diplomatic strain. “We’ve tried reasoning with the Canadian system, cautioning against an extremist path. Our national interest, integrity, and sovereignty are paramount, and we will respond accordingly,” he said.
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