Modi govt reacts to China building bridge at Ladakh's Pangong lake

The Narendra Modi government slammed China for building a bridge on Indian territory that it is illegally occupying.

The bridge in question is reportedly being built on the Pangong lake in Ladakh. The 8-metre-wide bridge is situated south of the Chinese army field base on the north bank of the lake, as per reports.

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In a written statement in Parliament, the government reportedly said that it has taken note of the construction. "This bridge is being constructed in areas that have continued to be under the illegal occupation of China since 1962," the statement reportedly said. It added that the Government of India has never accepted this illegal occupation, and made it clear on several occasions that Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh are integral parts of India. The statement asked other countries to respect India's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

This comes days after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi slammed the Modi administration's foreign policy in the Parliament. Gandhi accused the government of bringing China and Pakistan together, and called it a serious threat for India.

External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar had responded to the criticism via a series of tweets on India-China-Pakistan history.

Tension between Delhi and Beijing has been high since aggression by the Chinese army along the disputed border in Ladakh in 2020. Disengagement of troops has taken place in a few hotspots along the Line of Actual Control, though others remain. The last round of military-level talks to defuse the situation took place on January 12.