PLA Reduces Strength In Finger 4 Area Of PANGONG TSO
The Chinese military has reportedly further reduced its numbers in the Finger 4 area of Pangong Tso
In continued progress on disengagement in Ladakh, Chinese military further reduced its presence in the Finger 4 area of Pangong Tso. Having vacated the base of spur earlier, People’s Liberation Army personnel have thinned down presence on ridge-line as well.
Agency reports said some boats from Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh had also been removed but this could not be confirmed.
The reduction on the ridge-line comes ahead of another round of talks between senior military commanders from India and China to finalise modalities for “Phase II” of disengagement along the Line of Actual Control. The areas under discussion will include Pangong Lake and Depsang where Chinese troops have intruded into the area between Finger 4-8 where Indian patrols have been a regular presence.
The Chinese troops were previously an irregular presence until their recent intrusions.
The Chinese are maintaining that the works, such as a road in Depsang, are on territory under their control.
The escalation in tension in eastern Ladakh was triggered by a clash between the two armies in Pangong Tso on May 5 in which a sizeable number of personnel from both sides were injured. A few days later there was a similar physical clash in Naku La in Sikkim though on a smaller scale. The military face-off continued and led to skirmish at Galwan Valley patrol point 14 on night of June 15.
At the military talks, the two sides are expected to specifically focus on completing withdrawal of troops from Pangong Tso and Depsang besides laying out a detailed roadmap for disengagement of large numbers of troops from the rear bases in a time-bound manner. Both sides had significantly ramped up troops and weaponry in eastern Ladakh.
The de-escalation following disengagement is expected to see de-mobilising of troops. Indian commanders are keeping a very close vigil to see that PLA adheres to what its political leadership has promised.
