New Delhi : Lt. General level Commanders of India and China, held talks on Monday reaching an arrangement to disengage troops from friction areas along Line of Actual Control(LAC) in eastern Ladakh. The border-meet between Lt. Col. Havindar Singh and East Xinjiang Commander Major General Li Wei lasting 11 hours, follows the deadly clash on the night intervening June 15 16 that left over 20 Indian soldiers dead and unspecified number of causalities on the China side. According to the agreement, the disengagement will be carried out in a phased manner.
At the meeting, India demanded restoration of status quo ante as before 5 May -the day when the first clash occurred between Indian and Chinese solders on the shores of Pangong - a lake shared between India, Tibet and China wit LAC passing through it. That would mean Chinese withdrawal from Figure 4 -11 areas there. India’s claim extends up to Figure 8.
The plan involves recalling all artillery and armoured vehicles lined up to LAC. Given the element of mistrust in the region, it will be months before armies make complete retreat from the specified points. The Galwan valley attack came amid troop withdrawals in line with consensus arrived by commanders from both sides, in their 4-hour long meeting held earlier on 6 June.
The modalities for the present agreement will be chalked out in a virtual meeting to be held today. The Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs, a panel set up in 2012 for addressing border issues, will draw up the stage-by-stage disengagement process.
Meanwhile, Chief Gen MM Naravane visited eastern Ladakh to review military preparedness in the region. He also visited an Army hospital where 18 soldiers, injured in the Galwan Valley clash are undergoing treatment. According to military sources, the Army Chief directed commanders to maintain a high-level vigil.
