India, China to dismantle new structures built after April-May under disengagement plans: Report
Nearly six months after a standoff at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, India and China have reportedly agreed to withdraw their troops from forward positions and will "dismantle any new structures that have come up during the ongoing standoff since April-May this year in the Pangong lake area".
There would also be no patrolling activity by either side between the Finger 4 and Finger 8 as China has given up on its old stand to maintain an observation post in the area, sources told news agency ANI on Thursday.
The issue of Depsang plains would be discussed between the two countries separately where the Chinese have blocked some patrolling points of the Indian Army and a couple of other patrolling points of the Indian Army where Chinese have not yet disengaged entirely during the first phase of disengagement are also to be resolved soon.
The report further said that the two countries are discussing proposals as have reached an agreement to discuss stepwise disengagement from parts of the Eastern Ladakh sector under which they would be moving back to their respective positions before April-May timeframe earlier this year.
The disengagement plan was discussed between the two sides during the 8th Corps Commander-level talks which were held on November 6 in Chushul.
As per the disengagement plan which is to be carried out in three steps in one week from the talks in the Pangong lake area, the armoured vehicles including tanks and armoured personnel carriers were to be moved back from their frontline deployment to a significant distance from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) by both sides.
As per the discussions, the disengagement of tanks and armoured personnel carriers was to be carried out within one day. The talks were held on November 6 in which External Affairs Ministry's Joint Secretary Naveen Shrivastava and Brigadier Ghai of Directorate General of Military Operations had taken part.
In the second step to be carried out near the northern bank on the Pangong lake, both sides were supposed to withdraw around 30 per cent of troops every day for three days. The Indian side agreed to come close to its administrative Dhan Singh Thapa post while the Chinese had consented to go back to their position east of Finger 8.
In the third and last step, the two sides were to withdraw from their respective positions from the frontline along the southern bank of Pangong lake area which includes the heights and territories around Chushul and Rezang La area.
The two sides had also agreed for a joint mechanism to verify the progress in the disengagement process through delegation meetings as well as using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).
The Indian side is moving very carefully on the issue as there is a lot of trust deficit with China after the Galwan valley clash in June this year in which 20 Indian soldiers had lost their lives and many Chinese army soldiers, including their Commanding Officer, were killed by the Indian troops.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trusted security team, including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane and Air Force chief RKS Bhadauria, had taken strong military measures like occupying the dominating heights along the southern and northern bank of Pangong lake on the LAC including the Ane La and Que La features.
China had mobilised its troops in a massive deployment along the LAC and transgressed into multiple Indian locations including patrolling points 14, 15, 15 A, 17 and 17A and the Finger area in April-May timeframe in the 14 Corps area of responsibility with Lt Gen Harinder Singh as Corps Commander and Maj Gen Abhijit Bapat as the 3 Infantry Division Commander based out of Karu.
India gave a huge response as it moved close to 60,000 troops for forward deployments apart from bringing in reserve divisions from the nearby Himachal Pradesh sector and plains. The Indian Air Force made rapid deployments to the frontline where its fighter jets and attack choppers were in ready to fire mode while its Garud Special Forces were deployed in the approach areas with Igla air defence systems to take out any approaching enemy aircraft.
(With ANI inputs)
