SOURCE: TIMES NOW
There are signs of improvement in the situation along the line of actual control in the Ladakh area, but it’s still too early. A lot has to happen before it’s clear that it’s not a false dawn.
After the Working Mechanism meeting, there are some signs that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army is willing to go back from the positions it occupies on the North Bank, back to where they were before the intrusion began in early May. This is the contentious Pangong sector. This has been seen as a welcome sign as it appeared that the Chinese were well entrenched in the Finger 5 area. Their agreement to go back, government sources said, is conditional. It will have to be seen if the PLA troops do go back, and whether the Indian Army agrees to the conditions.
The situation in Galwan and Hot Springs is positive; the PLA has moved back to what India believes is on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control. But there are still differences between the two countries over the situation in Gonggras and Konkhala.
China has repeatedly asked India to meet it halfway. India has clearly said Chinese soldiers have to go back to places they occupied in end of April this year. China has also stated that the border situation should not affect the overall relationship, but with the death of 20 soldiers in the fighting on June 16, it is not something that India can easily contemplate. The trouble along the LAC began in early May this year.
Today’s joint secretary level meeting was led on the Indian side by the ministry of external affairs and included representatives from the ministries of defence and home and also, from the Military Operations directorate of the army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. The Chinese side had equivalent officials. The meeting was done virtually
Interestingly, China has repeatedly complained about the aggressive Indian media and how it has access to information on the situation in Ladakh.
