New Delhi (NVI): With the completion of disengagement process in the Pangong Lake area of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), top army commanders of India and China today held their 10th round of talks to discuss the issue of undertaking a similar action at other friction points in the Eastern Ladakh sector, like Depsang, Gogra and Hot Springs.
The meeting at the level of Corps Commanders took place at Moldo on the Chinese side of the LAC, according to sources.
The meeting comes after it was verified that the disengagement process at North and South banks of Pangong Lake has been completed.
As per the agreement, both sides had to move their troops away from the eyeball-to-eyeball position. The Chinese troops moved back their troops to east of Finger 8, while India moved its troops to Finger 3, as mandated by the agreement reached at the 9th round of Corps Commander-level talks.
Since there is no demarcated boundary, the perception about the LAC differs. According to the Indian perception, the LAC passes through Finger 8 at Pangong Lake, while China believes that the LAC passes at Finger 4.
The disengagement process in the Pangong Lake area began on February 10 and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh asserted in Parliament the next day that India had made no compromise in the agreement.
He had said that the disengagement process would be carried out in “a phased, coordinated and verified manner” and after its completion, the army commanders would meet to discuss about similar exercise in the remaining friction points. The process was completed yesterday.
Both sides de-inducted troops along with tanks, with videos released by the Indian Army showing Chinese troops dismantling the temporary structures built in the flashpoint zone.
The military face-off between the two countries began in May last year after China tried to change the status quo at the LAC.
As China sent thousands of troops along the LAC in violation all the agreements, India also mobilised matching forces, resulting in eyeball-to-eyeball situation.
At one point of time, each side had around 50,000 troops along with tanks, missiles and fighter planes deployed along the LAC.
