The presidents of different political parties will participate via video conference at 5 pm on Friday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has convened a meeting of leaders of all political parties on Friday to discuss the situation on the India-China border, a day after the Indian Army said that 20 soldiers had been killed in action along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Galwan Valley in Ladakh.

The presidents of different political parties will participate via video conference at 5 pm on Friday, the Prime Minister’s Office said on Wednesday.

“In order to discuss the situation in the India-China border areas, Prime Minister @narendramodi has called for an all-party meeting at 5 PM on 19th June. Presidents of various political parties would take part in this virtual meeting,” the Prime Minister’s Office said on Twitter.



Tensions along the LAC with China took a tragic turn on Monday night, when Chinese troops clashed with Indian officers and soldiers. India has maintained that its troops were on the Indian side.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has described the incident as “deeply disturbing and painful”.

“The loss of soldiers in Galwan is deeply disturbing and painful. Our soldiers displayed exemplary courage and valour in the line of duty and sacrificed their lives in the highest traditions of the Indian Army,” Singh said on Twitter on Wednesday.



“The Nation will never forget their bravery and sacrifice. My heart goes out to the families of the fallen soldiers. The nation stand shoulder to shoulder with them in this difficult hour. We are proud of the bravery and courage of India’s breavehearts,” the Defence Minister said.

On Tuesday, the Indian Army had said that during the de-escalation process underway in the Galwan Valley, a violent face-off took place on Monday night with casualties on both sides. It initially said that the loss of lives on the Indian side included an officer and two soldiers.

Late in the evening, it announced that 17 more personnel who were critically injured in the clash and exposed to sub-zero temperatures had succumbed to their injuries, taking the number of those killed in action to 20.

The Indian Army said that the Indian and Chinese troops had disengaged in the Galwan area where they had clashed on the night intervening June 15 and 16.


IVD Bureau