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ISLAMABAD: In eastern Ladakh, India, on Wednesday, operationalized its new Nyoma airbase close to its border with China, even as an extensive army exercise is now underway in Arunachal Pradesh on the eastern front, according to an Indian media report. The developments at the opposite ends of the 3,488-km Line of Actual Control (LAC) underscore the high military readiness being maintained along the China frontier, the report states. The report, quoting a senior officer, states, &ldquo;There is ongoing reset in bilateral diplomatic ties. Military CBMs are also being progressively strengthened but the trust deficit on the ground remains high.&quot; &quot;With no de-escalation along LAC, troops will continue to be forward deployed for 6th successive winter since multiple Chinese incursions into eastern Ladakh in April-May 2020,&quot; he said. The Indian Air Force (IAF) chief, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, himself flew a C-130J &ldquo;Super Hercules&rdquo; aircraft from Hindon on the outskirts of Delhi to the Mudh airfield at Nyoma, among the world&#39;s highest at an altitude of 13,710 feet, to formally inaugurate the strategically located airbase.He was accompanied by Western Air Command chief Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra. Located just about 35 km from the LAC, Nyoma has undergone an upgrade worth INR2,300 million, which included extending the original airstrip into a 2.7 km &ldquo;rigid pavement&rdquo; runway, a new ATC complex, hangars, a crash bay, and accommodation, the report states. Humanoid robots&nbsp;In a related development, Indian journalist Pravin Sawhney stated in a social media post that humanoid robots will be guarding the LAC. &quot;These humanoid robots will be guarding the LAC &amp; be part of PLAA&#39;s Combined Armed Battalions/Brigades on the LAC. The PLA [Peoples Liberation Army] has huge quantity of operational data on Indian military deployments, logistics &amp; so on since August 2020 when 5G was brought till the LAC in east Ladakh.&nbsp;More to the point: China claims Ladakh!:&quot;<figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/f9f24b2f-778b-4b57-a7f6-397862128cef-WhatsApp Image 2025-11-15 at 00.33.27.jpeg" alt="WhatsApp Image 2025-11-15 at 00.33.27.jpeg" class="fr-fil fr-dib"></figure> Although China has plans to integrate robots in its defense forces, according to UBTech, the company making the robots the tweet refers to, states following are the tasks the robots can perform: The robots can walk at a pace of 2.0 m/s, collaborative handling with AGV, can do narrow aisle sorting, co-agent specialization and coordination, sub-millimeter precision manipulation, binocular stereo vison perception and planning, waist rotation angle, 0-1.8m manipulation workspace, deep squat, overhead lifting, autonomous precision palletizing and depalletizing, 3-minute autonomous battery swapping, and 24/7 continuous operation. It remains to be seen what effect, if any, the robots will have on border security and how they will counter the operations of the Nyoma airbase by India.

India

An Indian media report, quoting a senior officer, states, 'There is ongoing reset in bilateral diplomatic ties. Military CBMs are also being progressively strengthened but the trust deficit on the ground remains high.'

India operationalizes airbase near China border in Ladakh region

ISLAMABAD: Protests demanding statehood and constitutional safeguards for Ladakh turned violent on Wednesday, with demonstrators clashing with police, torching a local office of ruling Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), and setting a police van on fire, according to Indian media reports. Police responded with tear gas and baton charges to disperse stone-throwing protesters. By evening, several injuries had been reported, with visuals from central Leh showing flames at the BJP office and heavy police presence on the streets. The unrest follows weeks of peaceful demonstrations, including a hunger strike led by local activists calling for statehood and the inclusion of Ladakh under India&rsquo;s Sixth Schedule. A constitutional provision that grants special protections to tribal regions. Talks and tensions The protests escalated after two hunger strikers were hospitalized, prompting widespread anger and calls for urgent action. Talks between the Union Home Ministry and Ladakhi representatives are scheduled for October 6 in New Delhi, but local leaders are urging the Centre to bring the meeting forward in light of Wednesday&rsquo;s violence. The Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), the two key negotiating groups, have both expressed a desire for meaningful and time-bound dialogue with the government. The latest unrest is part of a broader movement that has been building since Ladakh was designated a Union Territory in 2019, following the revocation of Article 370. Since then, civil society groups and local leaders have voiced concerns over the region&rsquo;s lack of political representation and the need for legal protections for land, jobs, and cultural identity. Appeals for Calm Sonam Wangchuk, a well-known climate activist and one of the leading voices behind the hunger strikes, ended his fast on Wednesday amid the violence. He issued an emotional appeal to the youth to maintain non-violent discipline. &ldquo;My message of peaceful path failed today&hellip; I appeal to the youth to please stop this nonsense. This only damages our cause,&rdquo; he said in a statement to local media. In response to the unrest, security has been increased across Leh, with additional police deployments and monitoring of protest hotspots. Authorities remain on alert to prevent further escalation ahead of the upcoming talks.

Protests in Ladakh demanding statehood and constitutional safeguards turned violent, with clashes, arson, and injuries reported in Leh. Local groups seek urgent talks with New Delhi as unrest escalates ahead of scheduled negotiations.

Articles tagged with "Ladakh"

India operationalizes airbase near China border in Ladakh region

Ladakh protesters torch BJP office amid statehood, rights demands