Rajnath tells House: India, China agreed to LAC pullback in phases
No patrolling by either side now ‘India hasn’t conceded anything’
Defence minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament on Thursday India and China had reached an agreement to disengage from the north and south banks of Pangong Tso lake to prestandoff status, in a big breakthrough in the ninemonth tense military standoff in eastern Ladakh.
“The agreement that we have been able to reach with the Chinese side for disengagement in the Pangong lake area envisages that both sides will cease their forward deployments in a phased, coordinated and verified manner,” Mr Singh said in a statement in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday morning.
The Chinese troops will move east of Finger 8 on the north bank of Pangong Tso and the Indian troops will move to their permanent base at Dhan Singh Thapa Post near Finger 3, Mr Singh told Parliament. There will be a “temporary” freeze in the patrolling by both sides in the area between Finger 4 to 8 on the northern bank of Pangong Tso till both sides reach an agreement
Senior commanders of India, China will meet within 48 hours of the total disengagement from the Pangong area
We have agreed that both sides should achieve complete disengagement at the earliest and abide fully by the bilateral agreements and protocols
— Rajnath Singh, Defence minister
in diplomatic and military talks. The Chinese Army will dismantle all structures built since April 2020 in the Pangong Tso area. “A similar action will be taken in the south bank area by both sides,” said Mr Singh.
The minister later told the Lok Sabha that as per the latest information, the disengagement process which began on Wednesday is being acted upon “smoothly”. “All armoured vehicles have gone back to their permanent bases from both sides,” he said.
He said that these are mutual and reciprocal steps. “It will substantially restore the situation to that existing prior to commencement of the standoff last year,” he said.
India and China will hold discussions on the other friction points in eastern Ladakh such as the Depsang plains after the completion of the disengagement process in Pangong Tso.
“It has also been agreed to convene the next meeting of the senior commanders within 48 hours after the complete disengagement in the Pangong Lake area so as to address and resolve all other remaining issues,” said Mr Singh. The defence minister said that he wants to “assure this House that in these talks we have not conceded anything”. He said that Parliament should also know that there are still some outstanding issues with regard to deployment and patrolling at some other points along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. “These will be the focus of further discussions with the Chinese side. We have
agreed that both sides should achieve complete disengagement at the earliest and abide fully by the bilateral agreements and protocols,” said Mr Singh. He said that by now the Chinese side is also fully aware of India’s resolve. “It is therefore our expectation that the Chinese side will work with us in full sincerity to resolve these remaining issues,” said the defence minister.
Sources said that tanks and armoured vehicles are been pulled back from the south bank of Pangong Tso and there is a thinning of troops from the northern banks of the lake. The Indian Army is also expected to leave the strategic heights on the Kailash range which it occupied in late August on the south bank of the lake in the Chushul sector, in the second phase after verified disengagement action by the Chinese side.
The defence minister said India has consistently maintained that while bilateral relations can develop in parallel with discussions on resolving the boundary question, any serious disturbance in peace and tranquility along the LAC in the border areas is bound to have adverse implications for the direction of our bilateral ties. Mr Singh said that the actions by the Chinese side since last year have seriously disturbed peace and tranquility. “Consequently, they have also had an impact on the overall relationship,” said the defence minister.
The disengagement in Pangong Tso is significant as it was the most contentious standoff points between India and China since May 2020.
In May last year, China had occupied the area between Finger 4 and 8 on the northern bank of Pangong Tso where Indian troops used to patrol. Indian and Chinese troops had brutally clashed in the Finger area.