Disengagement on both banks of the Pangong Lake has been completed: sources (File)
New Delhi:
Disengagement on both banks of the Pangong Lake has been completed, sources said today.
India and China will discuss disengagement in Depsang, Hot Springs and Gogra tomorrow in the 10th round of senior commander level talks, the sources added.
The talks will take place at 10 am tomorrow at Moldo near Chushul on the South Bank of Pangong.
Both sides pulled back troops, tanks and other equipment from the banks of Pangong Tso, which became a flashpoint in the prolonged border dispute.
Satellite imagery of some areas on the northern bank of Pangong Tso supplied by Maxar Technologies showed multiple Chinese military camps seen in late January now removed.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told parliament that both sides had agreed to pull back troops in “a phased, coordinated and verified manner” around Pangong Tso, after which military commanders would discuss ending the standoff in other parts of the Ladakh frontier.
Tensions began rising along the high-altitude border in April, when India accused Chinese troops of intruding into its side of the Line of Actual Control, the de facto border between the two countries.
The confrontation spiraled in June when 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a physical clash on June 15 at Galwan Valley in Ladakh.
Despite several subsequent rounds of diplomatic and military talks, India and China had been unable to settle on an agreement until February.
Videos and images released by the army earlier this week also showed Chinese troops dismantling bunkers and tents, and tanks, soldier and vehicles moving out as part of the disengagement process.