India, China complete disengagement along southern and northern bank of Pangong lake: Report

The disengagement process between India and China along the southern and northern bank of Pangong lake has been completed, news agency ANI quoted Indian Army sources as saying.

Now, the two countries will discuss disengagement from three friction points in eastern Ladakh including Gogra, Hot Springs and Depsang plains in the Corps Commander level talks scheduled on Saturday.

According to ANI, India and China are set to hold the 10th round of Corps Commander level talks at 10 am on Saturday on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Moldo.

The disengagement of troops of the Indian Army and China’s People’s Liberation Army from the LAC was reached after sustained negotiations at the military and diplomatic level, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) last week.

“This agreement was reached after several rounds of sustained negotiations at the military and diplomatic level,” Anurag Srivastava, MEA Spokesperson said in a press briefing, further adding that the next steps post disengagement has been “clearly spelt out” by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during his speech in the Parliament.

“India’s strategy and approach during disengagement talks with China are based on directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that we will not allow an inch of our territory to be taken by anyone. It is a result of our firm resolve that we have reached the situation of an agreement,” Defence Minister said during a session in Parliament.

The report of complete disengagement between the two countries along the southern and northern bank of Pangong lake comes on the day China has for the first time acknowledged its casulaties in the Galwan Valley clash with the Indian Army in June last year.

Five Chinese frontier officers and soldiers stationed in the Karakoram Mountains have been recognised by the Central Military Commission of China (CMC) for their sacrifice in the border confrontation with India, which occurred in the Galwan Valley in June 2020, the PLA Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese military reported today.

Those killed included Qi Fabao, the regimental commander from the PLA Xinjiang Military Command, state-run Global Times quoted PLA Daily report as saying.