India, Chinaagreetopullback

TALKS Commanders reach ‘mutual consensus to disengage’, experts say arduous road ahead

NEW DELHI: Indian and Chinese military commandersreached a “mutualconsensustodisengage” from all “friction areas” along the contested Lineofactual Control (LAC), which has been tense since a brutal brawl on June 15 left 20 Indian troops dead in the Ladakh sector, two senior officials said on Tuesday.

But the process of disengagementislikely to be“arduousand challenging”, and will require movingaheadcautiously in phases, peoplewithdirectknowledge of the matter said.

The agreement was reached during an 11-hour meeting between top commanders at Moldo on the Chinese side of the LAC on Monday. The talks were aimed at cooling tensions and thinning the military build-upon both sides of the border. “The Corps Commander-level talks between India and China were heldinacordial, positive andconstructive atmosphere,” oneofthe officials cited in the first instance said. “Modalities for disengagement from all friction areas in eastern Ladakh were discussed andwillbetakenforwardbyboth the sides,” he added.

While disengaging in some friction areaswasa“low-hanging fruit” andcouldtobeachievedin a reasonable time-frame, the

“real test” would lie in the restoration of status quo ante in the Finger Area where the People’s Liberationarmy(pla) hassetup permanent bunkers, pillboxes andobservationposts, said oneof the persons cited in the second instance. Chinawatchersbelieve thatthedisengagementprocessis likely tobelesscomplicatedinthe Gogra Post-hot Springs and the Galwan Valley sectors, where there are noreal issues aboutthe alignment of the LAC.

The disengagement will have to be “equal, mutualandproportional,” said Lieutenant General

Vinod Bhatia (retd), a former DGMO.

“The disengagement will be a long-drawn process because of the mistrust that has set in after the Galwan Valley clash. A lot of verification through different means will be required at every stage of disengagement to make surethat the Plahasretreated,” added Bhatia, who served as the army’s DGMO during 2013-14.

The June 15 Galwan Valley skirmish in eastern Ladakh resulted in 20 deaths on the Indian side andtheplasuffered 43 casualties, accordingtoindian officials, but Beijing has not confirmed the fatalities. A Chinese spokesman on Tuesday dismissed such reports as “fake news”.

Disengagement in the Finger Area on the north bank of Pangongtsowillbetrickyincomparisonwithgograpost-hotsprings and the Galwan Valley sectors where limited disengagement hadbegunafter the first meeting between senior Indian and Chinesecommandersonjune6, said former Northern Army commander Lieutenant General DS Hooda (retd).