DEHRADUN: Speaking to media persons on the sidelines of the Passing Out Parade (POP) at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) on Saturday, vice chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen SK Saini, who was the reviewing officer of the parade, said that “both diplomatic and military-level talks are going on with China to maintain the previous status quo”.

Commenting on ceasefire violations by Pakistan on the Line of Control (LOC), the vice-chief said, “The ceasefire violations across the LOC have increased this year, if you compare the figures with last year or the year before that. We have also seen that there has been calibre escalation in terms of artillery being used from across the LOC to target innocent civilians. These acts are abhorrent. Although casualties have taken place on our side, we have been retaliating in a calibrated manner and are prepared for all contingencies which arise in the LOC.”

Elaborating on the talks with China, he said, “We are in touch with our Chinese counterparts, both at the diplomatic as well as at the military level and we hope that a solution is found through this dialogue and status quo as of April this year is restored. While we seek a resolution through dialogues, we are also committed to ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country, irrespective of the cost involved.”

When queried why the dialogues between India and China — which are going on since the past six months — have not achieved a breakthrough so far, Lt Gen Saini said, “These are complex talks and likely to take time. I do understand that these talks are protracted but we are maintaining our commitment in this dialogue and hope that an early resolution is achieved.”