India, China troops to disengage at Hot Springs in eastern Ladakh by September 12: MEA

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 9

India and China will complete the disengagement process in the Gogra-Hot Springs area (Patrolling Point-15) in eastern Ladakh within the next three days, the Ministry of External Affairs said here on Friday.

Agree to resolve pending issues

The two sides have agreed to take the talks forward and resolve the remaining issues and restore peace along the LAC — Arindam Bagchi, MEA Spokesman

Army Chief to visit Ladakh today

The Army Chief, Gen Manoj Pande, will be on a two-day visit to Eastern Ladakh. General Pande will land at Leh on Saturday and will be there till Sunday. He is scheduled to visit forward areas along the LAC.

Wildlife panel nod to IAF base upgrade

The standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife has approved a proposal for the upgrade of an IAF base in Ladakh in the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary area near the LAC.

As per the agreement, the disengagement process in this area started on September 8 at 8:30 am and will be completed by September 12.

The fixing of the timeline for completing the disengagement process came a day after the Indian and Chinese armies announced they would no longer confront each other at PP-15 where they have been locked in a standoff for over two years.

The announcement of disengagement comes about a week before the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now likely to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping besides Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders.

However, both Foreign Offices were not ready to state whether a Modi-Xi meeting would be held on the sidelines of the SCO summit from September 15 to 16. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, said there was “no information to offer at this moment” but added that “we believe the disengagement will be a positive progress and is conducive to peace and tranquillity in the border areas, and China also hopes to work with India to uphold peace and stability”.

Arindam Bagchi, spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said: “It has been agreed that all temporary structures and other allied infrastructure created in the area by both sides will be dismantled and mutually verified. The landforms in the area will be restored to the pre-standoff period by both sides.”

The two sides have agreed to take the talks forward and resolve the remaining issues. They have also agreed “to cease forward deployments in this area in a phased, coordinated and verified manner, resulting in the return of the troops of both sides to their respective areas,” he added.

Bagchi said the agreement reached at the 16th round of talks between the Corps Commanders of India and China at the Chushul-Moldo meeting point on July 17 ensured that the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the area would be strictly observed by both sides and there would be no unilateral change in the status quo.

“Since then, the two sides had maintained regular contact to build on the progress achieved during the talks to resolve the relevant issues along the Lince of Actual control (LAC) in the Western Sector of India-China border areas,” he added.

About The Author

Tribune News Service

The Tribune News Service brings you the latest news, analysis and insights from the region, India and around the world. Follow the Tribune News Service for a wide-ranging coverage of events as they unfold, with perspective and clarity.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.

#China #ladakh #Leh