Military-level talks between India, China positive, consensus on disengagement in Ladakh: Indian Army
This was the second Commander-level meeting between the two nuclear-powered nations after the first one held on June 6 to diffuse tension at the Line of Actual Control.
Following the marathon 11-hour military level meet between Indian and Chinese on Monday (June 22), the Indian Army on Tuesday said that Corps Commander level talks held at Moldo-Chushul was in ‘cordial, positive and constructive atmosphere’ and that both nations arrived at a ‘mutual consensus’ on disengagement.
Indian Army sources said that Indian and Chinese militaries arrive at a mutual consensus during Lt General-level talks to disengage from eastern Ladakh. It added that modalities for disengagement from all friction areas in eastern Ladakh were discussed at the meet.
This was the second Commander-level meeting between the two nuclear-powered nations after the first one held on June 6 to diffuse tension at the Line of Actual Control.
According to reports, in the meeting, the Indian delegation strongly raised with China the ‘premeditated’ assault by Chinese troops on Indian soldiers in Galwan Valley and demanded immediate withdrawal of Chinese troops from all friction points in eastern Ladakh, people familiar with the development said. The focus of the deliberations was on finalising modalities for disengagement of troops from various areas including Pangong Tso where the two militaries are on a bitter standoff for six weeks.
Tension between India and China escalated significantly in the region after 20 Indian Army personnel were killed by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in a violent clash in Galwan Valley on June 15 that New Delhi termed as a ‘premeditated and planned action’ by the Chinese troops.
However, the situation along the border deteriorated following the Galwan Valley clashes as the two sides significantly bolstered their deployments in most areas along the 3,500-km de facto border.
Meanwhile, Army Chief Gen MM Naravane on Tuesday left for Ladakh on a two-day visit to discuss with ground commanders the six-week standoff with the Chinese military and review India’s overall military preparedness in the mountainous region, Army sources said. The Chief of the Army Staff will visit forward locations and interact with troops on the ground. He will hold talks with Lt Gen Harinder Singh, the commander of the 14 Corps that takes care of the sensitive border with China.
Last week, Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria made a quiet visit to Ladakh and Srinagar air bases to review the Indian Air Force’s preparedness to deal with any eventualities in the region.
On Monday, Lt Gen Singh held a nearly 11-hour meeting with Commander of the Tibet Military District Maj Gen Liu Lin in an attempt to lower the temperature between the two sides. In the meeting, the Indian delegation strongly raised with China the ‘premeditated’ assault by Chinese troops on Indian soldiers in Galwan Valley and demanded immediate withdrawal of Chinese troops from all friction points in eastern Ladakh, people familiar with the development said.
The Army has already sent thousands of additional troops to forward locations along the border in the last week. The IAF has also moved a sizeable number of its frontline Sukhoi 30 MKI, Jaguar, Mirage 2000 aircraft and Apache attack helicopters to several key airbases including Leh and Srinagar following the clashes.
The two armies were engaged in a standoff in Galwan and several other areas of eastern Ladakh since May 5 when their troops clashed on the banks of the Pangong Tso.
The situation in eastern Ladakh deteriorated after around 250 Chinese and Indian soldiers were engaged in a violent face-off on May 5 and 6. The incident in Pangong Tso was followed by a similar incident in north Sikkim on May 9.
Prior to the clashes, both sides had been asserting that pending the final resolution of the boundary issue, it was necessary to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas.
