“This is still a proposal under discussion and will soon be addressed in the next round of Corps Commander talks,” according to a source.
India and China are working out modalities to finalize a gradual and de-escalation withdrawal plan along the Royal Line of Control in eastern Ladakh, starting with the North Bank of Pangong Tso, according to various sources.
The Chinese side’s proposal presented at the Corps Commander’s eighth round of talks on November 6 includes withdrawing its troops and equipment from Finger 4 to Finger 8 at North Bank, two sources confirmed.
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“This is still a proposal under discussion and will soon be addressed in the next round of Corps Commander talks. Once agreed, it will be done in multiple phases, with verification on the ground after each step, ”said an official source.
There are no changes to the terrain situation as of now.
On-the-ground verification at each step, in addition to aerial monitoring using unmanned aerial vehicles, will be key to ensuring that the Chinese fully respect the understanding on the ground, another source said.
After North Bank, the disengagement at Pangong Tso’s South Bank is expected to resume, where the two sides have deployed tanks and armored vehicles in the vicinity after tensions escalated in late August. Tanks and armored vehicles were expected to fall back some distance, the first source said.
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The two sides have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks since the start of the confrontation in early May, which reached a stalemate after some initial disconnect.
As part of the first phase of withdrawal, both sides had withdrawn the troops to the same distance from patrol points 14 in the Galwan Valley and 15 in Gogra-Hot Springs. It was during the retreat in Galwan that violent clashes broke out, resulting in the death of 20 Indian personnel and an unknown number of Chinese victims.
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