Nirmala Sitharaman waves at Chinese soldiers taking her pictures from across the fence. (Source: Nirmala Sitharaman/Twitter) Nirmala Sitharaman waves at Chinese soldiers taking her pictures from across the fence. (Source: Nirmala Sitharaman/Twitter)

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who was in Nathu La on Saturday, said she waved at the Chinese soldiers from the across the border who were reportedly taking her pictures.

“Acknowledged a row of Chinese soldiers from across the fence who were taking pictures on my reaching Nathu La,” she tweeted.

Sitharam, who was in Sikkim for a day, travelled to Nathu La by road and interacted with army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) officials.

She was accorded a guard of honour on her arrival at Nathu La. Chief of Eastern Command Lt Gen Abhay Krishna briefed her about the Army’s security preparedness along the India-China border.

Upon arrival Smt @nsitharaman is accorded with a Guard of Honor at Nathu-la pic.twitter.com/UdVGnAyRh1 — Raksha Mantri (@DefenceMinIndia) October 7, 2017

Her scheduled aerial survey of Doklam and forward posts in border areas of Sikkim was cancelled on Saturday due to bad weather, a statement issued by the Department of Information and Public Relations, government of Sikkim, said.

She has, however, undertaken an aerial survey of Gangtok and surrounding areas from the new Greenfield Pakyong Airport in east Sikkim, the statement added.

Smt @nsitharaman interacts with the Vice Chief of Army Staff and other senior army official at the BPM Hut at Nathu-la pic.twitter.com/NKruYI7SbZ — Raksha Mantri (@DefenceMinIndia) October 7, 2017

She later met Sikkim chief minister Pawan Chamling at his official residence and sought the state government’s intervention in sorting out issues, mostly concerning land, between the army and the state’s forest department. Chamling assured all intervention from the government, the release said.

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