India, China To Complete Disengagement in Depsang, Demchok By Oct 28-29: Army Sources

New Delhi: Marking a breakthrough in the four-year-old military standoff, as per sources in the Indian Army, the Indian and Chinese Army will complete the disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the India-China border patroling agreement by October 28 or 29  to end the nearly four-year military standoff in eastern Ladakh. 

Agreement Not Applicable To Other Friction Zones

ANI quoted the same source on Friday, saying, "The latest agreements will be applicable only for Depsang and Demchok and not for other places. This agreement will not be applicable to other friction zones. Troops from both sides will fall back to positions they held pre-April 2020 and they will patrol areas where they patrolled till April 2020. Regular ground commanders meetings will continue to be held. A particulate strength of troops in the patrols has been identified and (we) inform each other when we are going to patrol to avoid any miscommunication. All temporary infrastructure like sheds or tents and troops will be removed. The two sides will have surveillance over the area. Patrolling points in the Depsang and Demchok will be the points where we had been patrolling traditionally pre-April 2020."

'No Quid Pro Quo In Talks With China'

It further stated, "No quid pro quo in the talks with China. The decisions in the present talks have been taken only for Depsang and Demchok in Eastern Ladakh. Indian Army and Chinese Army will start patrolling up to their respective patrolling points by the end of this month."

India and China’s decision to resolve the military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) marked a significant shift, signalling their intent to manage disputes independently.

This development came as the US sought to pressurise India into aligning against China, using fear tactics to position itself as India’s only support in a conflict.

However, by re-establishing joint patrolling along the LAC, India and China showed they were working towards resolution without external interference, asserting equal footing with both China and the US.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on October 21 provided details of the agreement while emphasising that the disengagement process with China was completed, thus effectively restoring the situation to what it was before the tensions in 2020.

"As a result of these discussions, an agreement has been arrived at on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control in the India-China border areas, leading to disengagement and a resolution of the issues that had arisen in these areas in 2020," Misri said.  

Sources said that patrolling will begin at the two friction points once the disengagement is done and both sides will move their respective troops and dismantle temporary structures.

Eventually, they added that the patrolling status is expected to move back to the pre-April 2020 level.

The agreement framework was first agreed upon at the diplomatic level and then military-level talks took place, the army sources said, adding the nitty-gritty of agreement was worked in Corps Commander-level talks.

Indian Troops Begin To Pull Back Equipment To Rear Locations

Adhering to agreements between the two sides, Indian troops have begun to pull back equipment to rear locations in these areas.

The ties between the two Asian giants had nosedived following a fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades. 

PM Modi, Jinping Endorse Agreement 

On October 23, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China President Xi Jinping endorsed the agreement on patrolling and disengagement along the LAC in eastern Ladakh during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan in Russia.