Pangong pullback done, Gogra & Hot Springs next on agenda
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16-hour meeting
“It was agreed to continue communication and dialogue, stabilise and control the situation on the ground… to jointly maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas,” Indian statement
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India, China agreed to have “candid and in-depth exchange” of issues along the LAC
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, February 21
India and China today announced the successful completion of the disengagement of frontline troops in the Pangong lake area, terming it a significant “step forward”.
“This provided a good basis for resolution of other remaining issues along the LAC in the western sector,” a joint statement issued in the evening said. The “western sector” refers to the eastern Ladakh in India-China talks.
The statement was issued after senior military commanders of both sides conducted a 16-hour meeting to discuss the disengagement of troops from Gogra and Hot Springs along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
The meeting, which commenced at 10 am on Saturday at Moldo on the Chinese side of the LAC, ended at 2 am on Sunday.
The Indian statement said the two sides “had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on other issues along the LAC in the western sector”.
The statement laid out the future course. “It was agreed to continue communication and dialogue, stabilise and control the situation on the ground, push for a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues in a steady and orderly manner, so as to jointly maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas,” the statement said.
Sources said the next step of pulling back troops from Gogra and Hot Springs was on the agenda and it was the focal point of discussion between the two sides.
The two commanders reviewed their troop positions on both banks of the Pangong Tso, a 135-km glacial lake, to ensure that the disengagement was as per schedule.
The discussion on Gogra and Hot Springs would be conveyed to their respective headquarters for further directions.
The issue of Depsang would be discussed in subsequent meetings. Both armies have been stopping each other’s patrols at specific points along the LAC in Depsang, a 900-sqkm plateau at an altitude of 16,000 feet.
