Disengagement done, patrols to begin

India and China completed troop disengagement in Depsang and Demchok, with verification underway, easing border tensions after four years of standoff.

The disengagement of Indian and Chinese armies from Depsang and Demchok in eastern Ladakh was completed on Wednesday, with both sides now carrying out joint verification of the troop and equipment pullback to a specified and mutually agreed distance from the face-off sites, people aware of the development said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping before their meeting on the sidelines of the Brics summit in Kazan, Russia, on October 23. (Reuters)

The final verification is being done in line with the agreement reached by India and China on October 21 to reduce border tensions.

“Disengagement has been completed at Depsang and Demchok, and verification is underway. Talks will continue at the level of local commanders. Both armies are expected to begin patrolling the areas soon,” said one of the people cited above, asking not to be named.

China said the two armies are implementing the “resolutions” concerning the disengagement along LAC in eastern Ladakh in an “orderly” manner, news agency PTI reported from Beijing.

As part of the disengagement process, the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have pulled back their forward-deployed troops and equipment from the two flashpoints along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC), and dismantled temporary structures that had come up there after the military standoff began in May 2020.

“Patrolling modalities will be decided between ground commanders (brigadiers and below), said another person. “Exchange of sweets is planned on Thursday (Diwali),” he added.

The development will allow the Indian Army and PLA get past a two-year impasse in negotiations --- the fourth and last round of disengagement from Patrolling Point-15 in the Gogra-Hot Springs area took place in September 2022 after which the talks were deadlocked.

China and India have reached resolutions on issues concerning the border, the report said quoting Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian. “At the moment, the Chinese and Indian frontier troops are implementing the resolutions in an orderly way,” the Chinese official said, responding to a question on the disengagement.

The disengagement at Depsang and Demchok will facilitate patrolling by both sides in a coordinated manner, and in the agreed upon frequency and strength (of the patrolling parties), former director general of military operations Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia (retd) earlier said, adding that the two sides can now chart a path to restore peace and tranquillity along LAC.

The disengagement began on October 23, and its completion has restored the ground situation in the two forward areas to what it was pre-April 2020. The Indian Army will resume its patrolling activity in areas that had been cut off because of PLA’s forward presence.

The disengagement began after India and China announced a breakthrough in negotiations on October 21 to resolve the stand-off in Depsang and Demchok, the last two flashpoints in Ladakh where rival soldiers were 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 disengagement of rival troops from Depsang and Demchok doesn’t involve the creation of buffer zones, as had happened after the previous rounds of troop pullback.

India and China earlier disengaged from Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A) and Hot Springs (PP-15), areas where buffer zones 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.

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. Both armies still have tens of thousands of troops each and advanced weaponry deployed in the Ladakh theatre.