10th round of military talks today

NEW DELHI: With India and China completing the withdrawal of troops and weapons from the north and south banks of Pangong Tso, the two countries will hold a fresh round of high-level military talks on Saturday to take forward the disengagement process in Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang in eastern Ladakh, officials familiar with the development said on Friday.

The tenth round of Corps Commander-level talks are scheduled to start at 10 am at the Moldo border point on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), they said.

The officials said pulling back of troops, weapons and other military hardware as well as dismantling of bunkers, tents and temporary structures in north and south banks of Pangong lake were completed on Thursday and both sides have carried out a verification of the same.

“Both sides will also carry out a comprehensive review of the disengagement process in Pangong

lake areas,” one of the officials cited above said.

Officials indicated that during Saturday’s talks, India will insist on a faster disengagement process in remaining areas to bring down tension in the region, which has witnessed a tense standoff between the two militaries for over nine months.

On February 11, defence minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament that under an agreement between India and China on disengagement in the north and south banks of Pangong lake, the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) will pull back its troops to east of Finger 8 areas in the northern bank of Pangong lake while the Indian personnel will be based at their permanent base at Dhan Singh Thapa Post near Finger 3 in the region, with similar action taken on the south bank of the lake.

The officials said on Friday that troops of both sides have retreated to positions that were agreed to by both sides.

The disengagement process began on February 10.