A high-powered government panel on China on Friday reviewed the latest developments in Ladakh’s eastern theater, concentrating on charting the course of future negotiations to restore the status quo ante by mid-April along the controversial Royal Line of Control. (LAC). said officials familiar with the events.
The officials said the agenda for the next round of military talks between officers with the rank of Indian and Chinese corps commander, which is expected to take place shortly, was discussed at the high-level meeting attended by the defense minister. Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief. Defense personnel, General Bipin Rawat, the Army Chief, General Manoj Mukund Naravane and other senior officials.
The meeting took place a day after Singh told Parliament that no force in the world can stop the Indian Army from patrolling the borders, indicating a determination to regain access to several areas that are now difficult to access. due to the actions of the Chinese army throughout LAC. .
While the date has yet to be set, officers with the rank of corps commander could meet in the coming days to carry out military talks, the officials said. The situation in Ladakh remains tense after a series of recent maneuvers by the two armies in the Pangong Tso area.
Officers with the rank of corps commander have met five times so far, but failed to break the deadlock. The next meeting will be their first meeting after the Indian Army moved quickly and occupied key heights to prevent the People’s Liberation Army from seizing Indian territory on the southern shore of Pangong Tso in a stealthy midnight move on August 29. .
The Indian Army controls the hill positions on the southern shore of Pangong Tso that allow it to fully dominate the sector and monitor Chinese military activity. The Indian Army has also taken control of the key heights dominating PLA deployments on the Finger 4 ridge on the north shore of Pangong Tso, where rival soldiers are deployed just a few hundred meters from each other.
“Recent events have increased India’s bargaining power as there will definitely be a quid pro quo element in the talks,” the officials said.
In the tensions that began in mid-May, Indian and Chinese troops have come face to face at multiple points along the de facto border, known as LAC. In some of these areas, particularly the Finger and Depsang Area in Ladakh, Indian forces were unable to reach areas that they could previously patrol.
“No force in the world can stop the Indian jaws from patrolling. If our soldiers have made sacrifices, it is for this reason that they have given their lives, ”Singh told Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
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