India, China affirm completion of disengagement of troops

New Delhi: Senior military commanders of India and China on Sunday agreed to continue discussions to further stabilize the border areas in Ladakh and carry on the momentum post the withdrawal of troops by both sides around the Pangong Lake area, among the most contentious sectors along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The commanders “positively appraised the smooth completion of disengagement of frontline troops in the Pangong Lake area noting that it was a significant step forward that provided a good basis for resolution of other remaining issues along the LAC,” according to a joint statement on Sunday.

The statement was issued after almost 16 hours of talks between Lt. General PGK Menon, who heads the Leh-based 14 Corps tasked with securing the Ladakh sector along the LAC, and South Xinjiang Military Region commander Major General Liu Lin. The talks took place at the Border Personnel Meeting (BPM) point in Moldo on the Chinese side of the LAC opposite Chushul.

Menon and Liu had “candid and in-depth exchange of views on other issues” along the LAC, the statement said, referring to the proposed disengagement of troops from friction points such as Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang.

“The two sides agreed to…continue their communication and dialogue, stabilize and control the situation on the ground, push for a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues in a steady and orderly manner, so as to jointly maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas,” the statement added.

Lt. General (retd) Deepender Singh Hooda, former head of the Indian Army’s northern command, said however, that “it is too early to expect” another round of disengagement.

The ninth round of commander-level talks held on 24 January facilitated the disengagement of troops around the north and south banks of Pangong Lake, wherein the armies of both countries stood eyeball-to-eyeball for more than 10 months. The disengagement was announced on 11 February. As per the terms of the agreement, which was drafted and signed by the two sides, Chinese troops withdrew from Finger 4 area of the northern bank of Pangong Tso to beyond Finger 8. India also moved its troops back to just short of Finger 3 to the Dhan Singh Thapa post—a position that the Indian troops held in April 2020, when the Chinese mobilization was first noticed.

Fingers refer to mountain folds jutting into the lake. The two sides also pulled back soldiers and tanks from the south bank of Pangong Tso lake where India had secured vantage positions on the heights of the Kailash ranges overlooking Moldo on the Chinese side. The process of disengagement from the north and south banks was concluded on Friday, the Indian Army confirmed. Hooda said “the tone and tenor of the statement” was “fairly positive”.

Though disengagement from the Hot Springs and Gogra areas is expected to be fairly easy, withdrawing troops from Depsang is likely to be a complex exercise. Speculation is rife that there was no further news of disengagement in the joint statement as India may want the two issues to be dealt simultaneously.

Depsang, located at an elevation of more than 16,000 feet, lies between the Siachen Glacier and Chinese-controlled Aksai Chin. China has been blocking Indian patrols in the area, seen as strategic point for India considering that it lies close to a 255-km road connecting Leh to Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO)—the highest airfield in the world.

“Depsang is not going to be easy to resolve given the differences in perception of where the LAC lies are very far apart,” on both sides, said Hooda. “This will take some tough negotiations. We need to be patient,” he said.