“Final Phase of India-China Troop Withdrawal Underway at Ladakh’s LAC: Sources”
Kullu: Army vehicles move towards Leh, amid border tension between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh, in Kullu district, Wednesday, July 15, 2020. (PTI Photo)(PTI15-07-2020_000034B)
Day after a recent breakthrough in border talks with China, defence sources have confirmed that disengagement in Eastern Ladakh’s Depsang and Demchok areas is nearing completion. The first patrols along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) where tensions have remained high since the 2020 Galwan Valley clash—are expected to resume by the end of the month, sources said.
The disengagement process, now in its final phase, involves both sides dismantling temporary structures and fortifications built over the past four-and-a-half years in these contested areas after the border standoff in 2020, sources said. The temporary structures being dismantled include prefabricated sheds and tents used to house equipment, vehicles, and troops.
Once verification is finalised, both India and China will confirm the cessation of tensions in these areas.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar announced on Sunday (October 27) that India and China would soon resume patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, restoring the arrangement as it was in April 2020, before the border standoff began.
After a key agreement between India and China, the two countries have begun troop disengagement at the two friction points in eastern Ladakh’s Demchok and Depsang.
The agreement was arrived at only for these two friction points, and “talks are still underway” for other areas.
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