PremiumChairperson of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence, Jual Oram, on Saturday, said that the committee headed by him has proposed to the government to allow a 30 member committee to visit the Galwan Valley and Pangong Lake areas in the eastern Ladakh after May 15.
The region had witnessed a violent standoff between the troops of India and China last year.
The 30-member committee, chaired by senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Jual Oram and of which Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is a member, intends to visit the eastern Ladakh region, sources told news agency PTI.
The panel's visit to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) depends on approval from the government.
The decision to visit these areas was taken in the panel's latest meeting. Rahul Gandhi has reportedly not attended it.
Oram said that the government may have an assessment of its own on the situation in Ladakh and the committee will be notified about the Government's decision after consideration of the proposal.
Speaking to news agency ANI Oram said, "In a meeting of the Defence Committee which was held 10 days ago some members of the committee have proposed this. I have asked our section for the permission of the Speaker and I have asked the government to consider this proposal."
He further said," Our Defence Committee under my chairmanship has already visited India-China Border, Nathula Pass, Tamang and India-Bangladesh Border. We have also visited South".
"Now we have expressed our wish to visit Ladakh but the government has an assessment of what the situation is, the government will consider our proposal and then we will be told about their decision," he added.
When asked about Rahul Gandhi's comments on recent India-China skirmishes he said, "The proposal to visit Ladakh was made in the last meeting of the Defence Committee when Rahul Gandhi was not there. Rahul Gandhi does not come to many defence meetings but when he comes he talks something out of the agenda of the meeting, Though it does not have any effect on our committee."
After a nine-month standoff between India and China, the militaries of both sides have reached an agreement on disengagement in the north and south banks of Pangong lake that mandates both sides to cease forward deployment of troops in a "phased, coordinated and verifiable" manner.
With agency inputs
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