Ladakh standoff: Manmohan Singh asks PM to be mindful of implications of his words

New Delhi: In his first remarks on the Ladakh face-off, former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said PM Narendra Modi must be mindful of the implications of his words and cannot allow China to use them as a vindication of its position.

Noting that disinformation is no substitute for diplomacy or decisive leadership, Singh called upon the prime minister to ensure justice for soldiers who died defending India's territorial integrity.

"To do any less would be a historic betrayal of people's faith," he said in a statement.

Noting that the country is standing at the historic cross-roads, he said the government's decisions and actions will have serious bearings on how the future generations perceive us.

"Those who lead us bear the weight of a solemn duty," he said.

"And in our democracy that responsibility rests with the office of the prime minister. The prime minister must always be mindful of the implications of his words and declarations on our nation's security as also strategic and territorial interests," he said in a statement on the standoff with China in Ladakh.

Twenty Indian Army personnel were killed in a brutal attack by the Chinese military in eastern Ladakh's Galwan Valley on June 15.