India, China start pulling back from Pangong lake

NEW DELHI/BEIJING: India and China have started pulling back armoured elements — tanks and infantry combat vehicles (ICVs) — from heights on the southern bank of Pangong Tso along the Line of Actual (LAC), people familiar with the disengagement plan in New Delhi said on Wednesday, in what could be a possible movement towards resolving the nine-month military standoff between the two neighbours across multiple points in eastern Ladakh.

Troops are still holding positions on these strategic heights, they said on the condition of anonymity after the Chinese defence ministry announced in Beijing that the troops had started to disengage along the LAC near the salt-water lake.

In a statement published on the Chinese defence ministry website, spokesperson Wu Qian said that according to the consensus reached during the ninth round of military commanderlevel talks between the nations, the frontline units of the Chinese and Indian armed forces have begun to disengage at Pangong lake. The troops have begun to disengage “simultaneously and systematically”, Wu was quoted as saying in the statement.

The details of the disengagement were not shared by the Chinese defence ministry. New Delhi was yet to respond to the statement officially till the time this report was filed.

“On the face of it, the disengagement is a positive step. I think we will have to wait for details of the process, whether it includes all military presence or only heavy equipment,” said former Northern Army commander Lieutenant General DS Hooda (retd).

The Indian Army occupied a series of key heights to prevent

the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) from grabbing chunks of Indian territory on the southern bank of Pangong Tso in a stealthy midnight move on August 29, 2020.

The Indian Army ‘s control of ridgeline positions on the lake’s southern bank allows it to completely dominate the sector and keep an eye on Chinese military activity, with the positions scattered across Rezang La, Reqin pass, Gurung Hill and Magar heights — the PLA also holds some features on the southern bank.

Last September, India rushed its front-line tanks and ICVs to the strategic heights held by its soldiers on the southern bank, in response to intimidating military moves by the People’s Liberation Army.

The withdrawal of the armoured elements from one of the many friction points in the eastern Ladakh theatre comes nearly a fortnight after military commanders of the two armies agreed on January 24 to push for an early disengagement of their frontline troops.

The ninth round of China-India Corps Commander Level meeting was held on the Chinese side of the Moldo-Chushul border meeting point on January 24.

At the meeting, which lasted over 15 hours, the two sides had “agreed to push for an early disengagement of the frontline troops.