Owaisi frowns upon Pangong Tso disengagement plan; accuses PM Modi of giving up leverage

On Wednesday, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi claimed that India has lost leverage as a result of the Pangong Tso disengagement plan agreed upon by the government. Making a statement on the LAC faceoff in the Rajya Sabha on February 11, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced that both sides have reached an agreement on disengagement in the North and South Bank of the Pangong Tso Lake. Describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "weak leader", the Hyderabad MP contended that the former had chosen "political convenience" over defending India from the People's Liberation Army of China. Moreover, he alleged that the PM's tough talk was aimed only at domestic opposition instead of the country's real enemies. 

Read: New Visuals: Indian & Chinese Troops & Tanks Disengage From Pangong Tso Area In Ladakh

Faceoff at the LAC

The faceoff at the Line of Actual Control was exacerbated when 21 Indian Army soldiers including a Commanding Officer were martyred in the Galwan Valley on June 15, 2020, when the de-escalation process was underway. This was followed by multiple attempts of provocation by the Chinese side at the end of August. Multiple rounds of military commander-level and WMCC meetings have taken place between the two sides to resolve the crisis. Besides this, EAM S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh have met their respective counterparts. 

The 20th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) took place on December 18, 2020. The developments along the LAC were reviewed and both sides agreed to work towards ensuring complete disengagement as per the agreements reached between the respective Foreign Ministers and Special Representatives. Furthermore, they acknowledged that the 7th and 8th round of military commander-level talks had contributed to ensuring "stability on the ground". On January 24, the 9th round of Corps Commander-level talks was held to work out a phased disengagement and de-escalation plan. 

Disengagement plan

Briefing the Upper House of Parliament on the contours of the disengagement plan, Rajnath Singh explained that both sides will halt their forward deployments in a phased, coordinated and verified manner. In the North Bank area, the PLA troops will maintain their presence to the east of Finger 8 while Indian soldiers shall be based at their permanent base at Dhan Singh Thapa Post near Finger 3. Similar action will be taken by both sides in the South Bank area. Furthermore, all structures built by India and China in the North and South Bank areas since April 2020 will be removed.

On the other hand, both sides will resume patrolling in the North Bank only when a requisite agreement is reached via diplomatic and military channels. Observing that the disengagement started on February 10, Singh revealed that the 10th meeting of the senior military commanders will be convened within 48 hours of the completion of this process to resolve all other remaining issues. Additionally, he assured the House that India has not conceded anything in these talks. 

Read: Parliamentary Panel On Defence To Visit LAC In May-June; Rahul Gandhi Also Part Of Group