India to press for 'disengagement & de-escalation' at LAC in high-level talks with China

Amid the border tension row, India and China will hold the seventh round of Corps Commander-level talks on Monday, October 12. India will continue to demand total disengagement and de-escalation by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) from the Eastern Ladakh sector during the talks. The Commander-level talks will be held at the Chushul Moldo in Eastern Ladakh currently where 50,000 troops from both sides are in standoff position since April-May this year.

"India is expected to demand discussion on all the friction points between the two sides from the Sub-sector North to the central sector and complete disengagement and de-escalation by the Chinese Army from there," government sources said.

The sources further revealed that the Chinese side has been demanding that such a mechanism should be discussed first for the new friction points along the Northern and Southern bank of the Pangong lake however India wants discussion on the entire area.

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Indian side is likely to be strict on its demands

Indian forces had taken an aggressive stand and occupied several strategic heights on the northern and southern Pangong lake area after the Chinese army preempted to take over them. During the talks, the Indian side is likely to be strict on its demand for complete de-escalation and disengagement from the area where they have been in a stand-off position for the last over five months after the China Study Group meeting was held a few days back. Furthermore, India has a clear stand that the plan of talks must involve disengagement and de-escalation from the entire Eastern Ladakh region for addressing the situation, according to sources.

Meanwhile, the seventh round of talks would be the last one be attended by present corps commander of Fire and Fury Corps Lt Gen Harinder Singh as his successor Lt Gen PGK Menon has already reached Leh to take over the charge. Singh had taken over the Corps in October last year and the transgressions in Eastern Ladakh took place in April-May timeframe.

The military and political leaders including External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane, Air Force Chief RKS Bhadauria and Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat have been actively involved in tackling the issue of Chinese transgressions. Also, NSA's core security team has been actively involved in preemptive and thwarting the Chinese army attempts to occupy strategic heights in the southern and northern Pangong lake area. 

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(With inputs from ANI)