Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Ladakh on Friday morning to take stock of military preparedness in the region, which has witnessed more than two months of tension with China over violations of the Line of Actual Control.
Rajnath arrived in Leh, accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General M.M. Naravane. Rajnath is expected to be on a day-long visit of the region.
This is Rajnath's first visit to Ladakh after the standoff between the armies of India and China on the Line of Actual Control began on May 5. Rajnath's visit comes exactly two weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise trip to Ladakh, when he addressed troops and signalled the country's firmness in dealing with the India-China border row.
Rajnath will carry out a comprehensive review of the security situation in the region with Naravane, Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Yogesh Kumar Joshi, Commander of the 14 Corps Lt Gen Harinder Singh and other senior Army officials.
From Ladakh, Rajnath is expected to travel to Srinagar where he will hold a high-level meeting with senior military officials on Saturday to review the situation along the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan, the sources said.
Rajnath was originally scheduled to visit Ladakh on July 3 but it was deferred.
