SOURCE: Times Now Digital
Amid the ongoing standoff between India and China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), 8th round of Corps Commander-level talks between India and China are slated to take place this week. Despite a series of military-to-military talks and diplomatic engagements, no disengagement has taken place in Ladakh, where the two armies have been locked in a bitter standoff since early this year.
The latest round will carry forward the talks on the disengagement process ahead of Harsh winters along the northern frontiers. This week’s talks are the first to be held after the change of command in Leh-based HQ 14 Corps. Last week, Lt Gen PGK Menon from Lt Gen Harinder Singh.
“The eighth round of military talks are likely to take place this week. The date is yet to be finalised,” an Army source was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. After the seventh round of talks, the two armies had issued a joint statement and said that both sides agreed to maintain dialogue and communication through military and diplomatic channels to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution for disengagement “as early as possible”.
The talks so far
After the earlier, the sixth round of talks, the two sides had declared that they will not send more troops to the area and also agreed to implement the five-point action plan agreed during the meeting between S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during the September 10 meeting in Moscow, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting.
Quick disengagement of troops, avoiding action that could escalate tensions, adherence to all agreements and protocols on border management and steps to restore peace along the LAC- were some of the points that were agreed upon during that meet.
In what has been referred to as the longest stand-off between the two armies after the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict, the Chinese soldiers have made at least three attempts to intimidate Indian soldiers along the northern and southern banks of Pangong Tso. this was also the first time, shots were fired along the LAC for the first time in the past 45 years.
While China began amassing massive military hardware along the LAC, India responded with a befitting build-up, including tanks, heavy weaponry, ammunition, fuel, food and essential winter supplies.
