New Delhi, Sanjay Mishra. India and China have agreed to remove troops from face-to-face confrontations from all the front fronts of the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh. Following the consensus reached at the marathon meeting at the level of the military corps commanders of the two countries, it is now clear the way for the second phase of the withdrawal of troops to reduce the tensions at the LAC. However, India has bluntly told China that in order to reduce the tension on the LAC, not only will the troops have to withdraw, but they will also have to follow the boundary management agreement between the two countries and the Lakshman Rekha of the protocol. In this way, India’s message to China is clear that it is not possible to restore normalcy on LAC without restoring the status quo before 5 May.
In a fourth meeting of the core commanders of the two countries on Tuesday, India conveyed a message to China of an unacceptable violation of LAC’s dignity to resolve military tensions and deadlock arising from Chinese encroachment on LAC in eastern Ladakh. It was clearly stated by India that adherence to mutual agreement is inevitable for peace and stability on the border. Apparently, India also made it clear that China should take full responsibility for it. This was the longest meeting of corps commanders that lasted fifteen hours, with a review of the progress of the first phase of retreating troops, with the removal of the troops from the remaining front fronts of the confrontation. This dialogue of the core commanders began in the eastern Ladakh region in India’s Chushul sector at 11 am which lasted till 2 pm.
Both countries will decide at the top level
Sources said on Wednesday that the two countries agreed to remove troops from all advance fronts. However, before starting this process, it was said that both the military commanders should take this process forward only after getting approval from the top level of their country. The Corps Commander level meeting was attended by Lieutenant General Harinder Singh, Commander of the 14th Corps of the Army from India and Major General Liu Lin from the Chinese side.
Also Read: US scraps new visa order for foreign students
It is necessary to follow all protocols of border management on LAC
According to sources, there was a long discussion in this meeting on the very complex and serious issue of repelling troops from Depsang and Pangong So area. This led not only to the withdrawal of troops from these areas, but also to reduce the number of troops and weapons deployed in large numbers by the two countries during tensions on the front. India made it clear that the restoration of normalcy on the border required a compliance of all protocols of border management on LAC with face-to-face military confrontation. However, the two countries agreed that in the second phase, apart from removing the soldiers from the confrontation fronts, they will also reduce the number of their weapons and troops.
China’s Foreign Ministry said this about the meeting
No statement was officially released by India on the outcome of the meeting, but China’s foreign ministry did agree on the two countries agreeing on the next step of reducing the tension on LAC. At the same time, India and China will jointly take steps on agreed issues and move forward for peace and stability.
The events leading up to the bloody conflict in Galvan
Following the bloody conflict in the Galvan Valley on the night of 15–16 June, two meetings between the core commanders of the two countries were held on 22 June and 30 June, in which it was agreed to implement the June 6 agreement. This was followed by talks with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang, and after this, Chinese soldiers from Finger Char, Hot Spring and Galvan Valley have retreated with their tents and equipment. Indian soldiers have also retreated from these areas in the same proportion and a buffer zone of about four kilometers has been formed between the two armies. In the fourth round of commander-level meeting, India has made it clear to China that this buffer zone will not be a permanent solution, but a pre-May status quo. However, amidst this stance of India, China has decided to withdraw troops from other areas.
