NEW DELHI: Indian and Chinese troops have kicked off the process to disengage in phases at Depsang and Demchok in eastern Ladakh, even as defence minister Rajnath Singh Thursday said “broad consensus” has been reached to restore “ground situation” in some areas on principles of equal and mutual security.
“The dismantling of temporary posts and structures erected at the two face-off sites after May 2020 is taking place in a controlled manner as part of modalities worked out by on-ground commanders ,” a source told TOI.
“The dismantling and pullback will take around a week. Local commanders will verify it before coordinated patrolling begins,” he added.
LAC patrols to avoid coming face to face
As per the new India-China pact on ‘patrolling arrangements’, Chinese troops will no longer block Indian soldiers at ‘Bottleneck’ area in the strategically-located Depsang Plains, which is around 18 km inside what India considers its territory.
“Indian troops will also not block Chinese patrols in the region. The two armies will inform each other of date and time of their patrols in advance to avoid face-to-face confrontations,” a source said.
The Indian side is hopeful that its troops will now be able to go right up to their patrolling points 10, 11, 11A, 12 and 13 in Depsang, the crucial table-top plateau located at an altitude of 16,000 feet towards the crucial Daulat Beg Oldie and Karakoram Pass in the north.
Disengagement is also underway at Charding Ninglung Nallah junction near Demchok, where PLA has erected tents on Indian territory.
The new pact is limited to Depsang and Demchok and doesn’t include ‘buffer zones’ created earlier in eastern Ladakh. The no patrol buffer zones, varying from 3km to 10km largely on Indian side of LAC, were created after troop disengagements at Galwan, north bank of Pangong Tso, Kailash Range and larger Gogra-Hot Springs area, with the last being established in Sept 2022. “Question of patrolling in buffer zones will be taken up later,” the source said.
In his remarks on “significant development” in the border imbroglio, Rajnath Singh said, “India and China have been involved in talks at diplomatic and military levels to resolve differences in areas along LAC. Pursuant to talks, broad consensus has been achieved to restore ground situation based on the principles of equal and mutual security.”