'One less problem on border': S Jaishankar on withdrawal of Indo-Chinese troops from PP15

After troops from the Indian Army and People's Liberation Army (PLA) withdrew their positions from the Gogra Heights-Hot Springs area near Patrolling Point-15 (PP15) in the eastern Ladakh sector, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said that the disengagement at PP15 meant one problem less at the Chinese border.

The External Affairs Minister reported that the staged, coordinated, and verifiable pullout of the Indian and Chinese troops at Patrolling Point (PP) 15 in the Gogra-Hot Springs region of eastern Ladakh was completed.

Responding for the first time to the recent disengagement between Indian and Chinese troops from eastern Ladakh, S Jaishankar said, "We have had disengagement at PP15. The disengagement, as I understand, was completed. That is one problem less on the border." EAM made this remark at the joint conference with his French counterpart Catherine Colonna in New Delhi.

Indian army & China's PLA disengage from Gogra Heights-Hot Springs area

Troops from the Indian Army and People's Liberation Army (PLA) withdrew their positions in the Gogra Heights-Hot Springs area, thus seemingly resolving matters at a friction point on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Notably, on Tuesday, both the country carried out verification to confirm the withdrawal of the troop from PP15, thus marking the completion of the disengagement at PP 15 on Tuesday, in a phased, coordinated and verified manner, resulting in the return of the troops of both sides to their respective areas.

"Armies of India and China today completed the disengagement process in Gogra Heights-Hot Springs area near Patrolling Point-15 in eastern Ladakh sector. The two sides have also completed verification of each other's positions after pulling back troops from friction point," government sources said on Tuesday.

It is pertinent to mention that this stems back to the post-May 2020 period when China, taking an aggressive stance, attempted to unilaterally change the status quo on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) by heavy deployment of troops. However, India showed strong retaliation and thwarted the Chinese misadventure.  

Notably, the patrolling point 15 of the Indian Army near the LAC in eastern Ladakh was the only point remaining to be reconciled in that region between India and China. Earlier both sides had resolved all differences in the Galwan Valley and the South, north banks of the Pangong lake.