Rajnath Singh to visit forward areas on along Pakistan, China borders this week

New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh will next week visit forward areas along the borders with Pakistan and China, including Chumar in eastern Ladakh which saw a fortnight-long stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops a year ago. During his three-day visit to forward areas of Jammu and Kashmir beginning Tuesday, Singh will inaugurate a new officers’ mess at the camp of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) force in Samba and may also go to posts in the sector which has often witnessed firing from across the border. [caption id=“attachment_2431734” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Rajnath Singh. Reuters[/caption] Singh will then visit border posts in Chumar in eastern Ladakh where Indian and Chinese troops had eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation in sub-zero temperatures in September 2014. It will be followed by a visit to the police memorial in Hot Spring and ITBP posts in Thakung and Chushul. Following a flag meeting at Spanggur Gap, both the forces had decided to de-escalate the standoff by pulling back troops in the Himalayan plateau after a fortnight last year. The Home Minister will review the situation along the Sino-Indian border and interact with troops of ITBP, which guards the border. He is also expected to chair a meeting with local administration and Border Roads Organisation about the development activities being carried out in the forward areas. PTI