India and China are standing against each other at the conflict site of eastern Ladakh since April 2020. According to a report published by The Hindu, the two sides have now agreed to return back to the areas or positions held by them prior to April 2020. This can be a major development as the tensions escalated between both the nations regarding the non-demarcated border marked by Line of Actual Control.
An official told The Hindu that now China will vacate its positions from finger area while India will also go back from the advantageous positions it held in the southern side of the Pangong Tso (Lake). However, Depsang and Charding Ninglung Nallah (CNN) are not part of the current decisions but as per sources, it will be discussed later which means any position held by any country will remain intact there.
The consensus was reached after the 9th round of Corps Commander level talks on January 24. The official was quoted by The Hindu, “The ground commanders are meeting twice a day and we are hopeful of achieving a pre-April 2020 status in all sectors.”
The official added during talks with The Hindu, “After the Corps Commanders meeting, the disengagement plan was approved by the government. There will be simultaneous withdrawal on both the banks of Pangong Tso. In north bank, India will move back to DS Post where the troops had earlier started their patrols. But a little caution is required and whether China matches words with actions is to be seen.”
Besides removal of ammunition and soldiers, makeshift
tents and other such things will be removed from the site. The official added, “If
the troops have to move from point A to B, then preparations have to be made at
point B where the troops will recede. We are synchronising the plan with the
Chinese troops. The Southern bank, where Indian troops are in a dominant
position since August 2020, is a big pressure point for the Chinese.”
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