On Thursday, 11 February, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh addressed the Rajya Sabha on the situation on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), saying that the two countries have started disintegration in Pangong Lake.
On Thursday, 11 February, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh addressed the Rajya Sabha on the situation on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), saying that the two countries have started disintegration in Pangong Lake.
Singh’s confirmation came on Wednesday after the Global Times reported that disintegration has begun on the northern and southern sides of the lake after reaching the ninth round of military ruckus-level talks between the two countries.
China’s Global Times quoted the Chinese Ministry of Defense as announcing this. The development follows months of deadlock between the two militants in the LAC, during which a violent confrontation took place last year between the two sides in the Galwan Valley in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed.
Ninth Corps Commander level talks between the two countries took place on 25 January at the Moldo meeting point.
The Indian delegation was led by Lieutenant General PGK Menon, the Corps Commander of the 14 Corps, headquartered at Leh, as India demanded complete liberation from the disputed areas and withdrawal of forces.
China’s Ministry of Defense said that the frontline troops of India (India) and China (China) stationed at the northern and southern end of Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh have begun to retreat systematically from Wednesday.
However, there has been no comment from the Indian side. Colonel Wu Qian, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Defense, said that border troops of India and China were stationed on the northern and southern sides of Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh, which systematically retreated since Wednesday.
The news related to his statement has been shared by China’s official media. Qian said in a press release that the agreement was reached after the ninth round of commander-level talks between India and China, the border units of the armed forces of the two countries. The armies of the two countries have retreated systematically from the northern and southern sides of Pangong Lake since 10 February. Significantly, there has been a military standoff between the two countries in eastern Ladakh since May last year.
A few days ago, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said that the issue of withdrawal of troops is very complicated. It depends on the armies. You should be aware of your (geographical) location and events. Military commanders are working on it. The foreign minister said that the army commander has held nine rounds of talks so far. We feel that some progress has been made but this cannot be seen as a solution. The impact of these negotiations on the ground is not visible. Jaishankar said that he and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh had talked to their counterparts last year and it was agreed that in some parts the troops should retreat.
However, India’s stand has been clear in all military-level talks with China. India wants China to return to the state beginning in April. At the same time, the relationship of both of them deteriorated in June, after a long time the soldiers of the LAC were martyred. In this violent clash in the Galvan Valley, 20 Indian soldiers were martyred, while many soldiers were also killed from the Chinese side. However, China did not officially confirm yet.