India, China pull back troops; begin disengagement in Demchok, Depaang in eastern Ladakh

Disengagement of troops of India and China has started at two friction points in Demchok and Depsang Plains in the Eastern Ladakh sector, defence officials said. As per the agreements between the two sides, the Indian troops have started pulling back equipment to rear locations in the respective areas, they said.

On October 21, India announced that it reached an agreement with China on patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh ending the over four-year-long military standoff. Speaking at an event in New Delhi on October 24, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the two countries had reached a consensus to restore the “ground situation” based on the principles of equal and mutual security.

He added that this includes restoration of “patrolling and grazing to traditional areas”. Singh attributed the progress in ties to the “power of engaging in continuous dialogue because, sooner or later, solutions will emerge.”

“India and China have been involved in talks both at diplomatic and military levels to resolve their differences in certain areas along the LAC. A broad consensus has been achieved to restore ground situation based on the principles of equal and mutual security,” he said delivering the keynote address at the second Chanakya Defence Dialogue.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Russia and welcomed the agreement reached between the two countries on patrolling arrangements along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

Prime Minister Modi said that maintaining peace and stability on the border should remain a priority of the two countries and mutual trust should remain the basis of bilateral ties. The Prime Minister said that the India-China relationship is important not only for the people of the two countries but also for global peace, stability, and progress.

The border standoff between India and China began in eastern Ladakh along the LAC in 2020, sparked by Chinese military actions. This incident led to prolonged tensions between the two nations, significantly straining their relations.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri addressing a media briefing on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan said that during the meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with President Xi Jinping the two leaders “welcomed the agreement reached between the two sides through sustained dialogue over the last several weeks in diplomatic as well as military channels.”

“PM Modi underscored the importance of not allowing differences on boundary-related matters to disturb peace and tranquillity on our borders. The two leaders noted that the special representatives on the India-China boundary question have a critical role to play in the resolution of the boundary question and for the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas,” the Foreign Secretary said.

Misri said the two leaders also reviewed the state of bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective.

“The restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas will create space for returning us towards the path of normalization of our bilateral relations. Officials will now take the next steps to discuss enhancing strategic communication and stabilizing bilateral relations by utilizing the relevant official bilateral dialogue mechanisms, including at the level of our respective foreign ministers," Misri said.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar addressing an event in New Delhi on October 22 said that India has reached an agreement with China on patrolling arrangements, which will restore the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to what it was before May 2020.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from ANI)

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