New patrolling protocol in works, LAC talks continue
NEW DELHI: Although military commanders are negotiating disengagement of the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) along the 1,597km LAC in eastern Ladakh, diplomats from both countries are considering the option of putting patrolling protocols in place to avoid a repeat of the June 15 Galwan Valley flare-up.
According to South Block, with the PLA building roads, laying fibre optic cables and setting up posts powered by solar panels up to the friction points along the LAC in Ladakh and the Indian Army matching the effort, it is only a matter of time before the two armies face off again while patrolling their perceived border line.
“The first step is total disengagement, then de-escalation with minimum troops being kept by both sides as per 1993-1996 bilateral agreements and then some working mechanism where the patrolling parties of two sides do not clash,” said a senior official, requesting anonymity.
While the short-term solution of disengagement and de-escalation is a work in progress, diplomats on both sides are looking for a long-term solution that will keep their soldiers apart.
NEW DELHI: Top Indian and Chinese military commanders on Sunday met in eastern Ladakh to discuss the next stage of disengagement along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC), with negotiations entering a critical phase due to serious differences between the two armies in the Finger Area near Pangong Tso and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s reluctance to vacate positions held by it in what New Delhi claims to be Indian territory, people familiar with the talks said on the condition of anonymity. The Finger Area — a set of eight cliffs jutting out of the Sirijap range overlooking the Pangong
Lake — has emerged as the hardest part of the disengagement process with little hope of immediate resolution, said one of the officials cited above.
The talks — the fifth round of negotiations between corps commander-ranked officers — began at around 11.30am at Moldo on the Chinese side of the LAC and were in progress when this report was filed. The latest round of military negotiations came three days after Chinese ambassador Sun
Weidong said his country’s traditional boundary line on the northern bank of the Pangong Lake was in accordance with the LAC and there was no case of Beijing expanding its claim.
The ambassador’s contention was a clear indication of the Chinese hard line on its claims in the Finger Area, said a second official. “It is becoming increasingly evident that breaking the Finger Area deadlock may require diplomatic intervention,” said the second official.
Before the PLA grabbed positions on Finger Four overlooking Indian deployments, the Indian Army would patrol right up to Finger Eight that New Delhi considers within Indian territory. The new positions held by the
PLA have curtailed the scope of Indian patrols. Fingers Four and Eight are eight kilometres apart.
The Indian claim line in this sector extends to Finger Eight, while the Chinese claim is up to Finger Four where the PLA has set up permanent bunkers, pillboxes, observation posts and tented camps over the last three months. “The new constructions by the PLA in the Finger Area and its deployments there show there is an element of permanence in their claims to the area. That coupled with the Chinese ambassador’s statement is an indication that the PLA is inclined to hold its positions on the north bank of Pangong Tso,” said former Northern Army commander Lieutenant General (retd) DS Hooda.