India, China to pull back from LAC by October 29
The disengagement of rival troops from Depsang and Demchok will not involve the creation of so-called buffer zones.
The disengagement of front-line Indian and Chinese soldiers from Depsang and Demchok in eastern Ladakh is moving ahead at a brisk pace and is expected to be over by October 28-29, paving the way for the two armies to begin patrolling the areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) by the month-end, officials aware of the development said on Friday.
“Almost 50% of disengagement has been achieved. If everything goes according to plan, it will be over by October 28-29,” said one of the officials, asking not to be named. This will restore the ground situation to what it was in these forward areas pre-April 2020.
The disengagement began on October 23, two days after India and China announced a breakthrough in negotiations to resolve their stand-off in Depsang and Demchok, the two remaining flashpoints in Ladakh where the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have been eyeball-to-eyeball for almost four-and-a-half years.
The disengagement agreement covers only Depsang and Demchok, and both countries will continue their talks at different levels on other areas where so-called buffer zones were previously created after troop pullback, the officials said.
The disengagement of rival troops from Depsang and Demchok will not involve the creation of so-called buffer zones. It will be different from the previous rounds of troop pullback that involved the creation of buffer zones.
India and China earlier disengaged from Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A) and Hot Springs (PP-15), areas where buffer zones (extending up to 4km) were created to temporarily restrict the patrolling activities of both armies in the region. The zones of separation were aimed at eliminating the possibility of violent face-offs.
The lifting of the moratorium on patrolling these areas by both sides will depend on the outcome of further talks, HT has learnt.
In Depsang and Demchok, the two armies will coordinate their patrolling activity to ensure there are no face-offs or scuffles, said a second official, who also asked not to be named. “We will inform each other about our patrols to build mutual trust,” he said. The Indian Army will resume its patrolling activity in areas that had been cut off because of the PLA’s forward presence.
The ongoing disengagement from the two friction points involves withdrawal of troops and equipment to a specified distance from the face-off sites, dismantling of temporary infrastructure created there, and rigourous verification to assess its implementation, the officials said.
The verification process will involve the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, other aerial means of surveillance and satellite imagery of the areas.
To be sure, disengagement from friction areas is the first step towards cooling border tensions. De-escalation of the lingering conflict and the eventual de-induction of rival soldiers must follow to restore peace and tranquillity in the sector.
The development is advantageous to both India and China, said Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia (retd), a former director general of military operations. “Both armies have demonstrated discipline and maturity in these areas. With the disengagement, the chances of a spiral are now negligible,” Bhatia added.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said talks with China had resulted in consensus on patrolling and grazing rights to traditional areas, adding that this was a significant development that underscored the importance of dialogue on the global stage.
“Pursuant to the talks, broad consensus has been achieved to restore ground situation based on the principles of equal and mutual security,” Singh said. To be sure, both armies still have tens of thousands of troops each and advanced weaponry deployed in the Ladakh theatre.
India and China on Wednesday welcomed the agreement for disengagement of troops and resolution of issues along their disputed border, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping deciding to reactivate several mechanisms to resolve the boundary issue and normalise the bilateral relationship at their first structured and formal meeting in five years on the sidelines of the Brics Summit in the Russian city of Kazan.