India, China inch closer to Ladakh disengagement

India and China are inching closer to further disengagement of troops at Ladakh, with progress expected to be made at the Gogra and Hot Springs flashpoints in the next round of Corps Commander level talks. Officials said there has been no attempt by the PLA to breach the agreement reached in February to withdraw troops from Pangong Tso.

The Indian position has been for a “comprehensive de-escalation” of tensions in Eastern Ladakh that cropped up in April last year after PLA moved close to 50,000 troops near the border and attempted to breach the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Talks had been stuck as China was insisting on withdrawal of additional troops brought in by both sides, followed by talks on specific flashpoints.

The Indian stance, sources said, has been on disengagement at the flashpoints –– primarily at Kong Kala (Gogra) and Shok Sala (Hot Springs) –– before moving on to a larger de-escalation that would involve moving back of additional troops, armour and artillery from Eastern Ladakh.

“There are indications that the PLA wants to disengage from other areas as well (after Pangong). There are positive indicators for the (Corps Commander) meeting that will take place very soon,” sources aware of developments said. In military parlance, these engagements are termed as Senior Highest Military Commander level (SHMCL) talks.

Emphasising that no eye ball to eye ball confrontation remains in eastern Ladakh, officials said that the border has remained peaceful since February with no cases of faceoffs as PLA has not ventured into the no-patrolling areas as mutually agreed. Ground troops and UAVs have been functional to detect any signs of change, they said, adding that contingency plans are in place in case there is a breach of agreement.

While the PLA has embarked on a massive infrastructure drive across the border, India has mirrored the moves and is inducting new equipment, upgrading its weapons and is stocking up to stay on for another winter if necessary, sources said.

Progress is expected at Gogra and Hot Springs but the tensions at Depsang plains, close to the Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) airstrip could take longer to resolve, given that it has been a legacy issue that first cropped up in 2013. Sources said that the last patrols across the bottleneck in Depsang were made in January-February last year but since then, the PLA has been blocking attempts to approach the areas.

In fact, sources said that the Chinese side had in the past (around 2015) attempted to send patrols towards the Indian military camp at Burtse, a move that was thwarted with the PLA troops being intercepted halfway and turned back.

“No permanent structures have come up at Depsang but they try to stop our troops a little ahead of the bottleneck by deploying vehicles when they go for patrolling. Similarly, we stop them from coming to this side,” sources said.

Officials said that there is a misconception that the border in Eastern Ladakh is becoming like the heavily manned Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. Explaining the difference, they said that there is no direct confrontation between the troops and although there are pockets of tensions, these are being handled through talks and negotiations. For example, the hotlines between Indian and Chinese troops at DBO and Chushul have been used over 1,450 times since April last year to resolve differences.

Another point of contention expected to be discussed during the talks will be over the Charding Nalla at Demchok. Sources said two civilian tents have come up across the nalla, which the Indian side wants to be removed as they are against mutual agreements on the disputed border.

As reported, India and China are set to hold their next round of talks to resolve the Eastern Ladakh border tensions soon, with fresh dates being worked out after the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) suggested a meeting on July 26, which happens to be the annually celebrated as Kargil Vijay Diwas.