The Indian army has long-term supplies in East Ladakh. | Photo credit: IANS
New Delhi: Six infantry battalions of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, supported by artillery and air defense units, remain crowded on the north shore of Lake Pangong in eastern Ladakh.
The PLA battalions may not be up to the task. But even if it is only about 500 soldiers, there are still about 3000 infantrymen entrenched in the heights overlooking Finger 4 and behind those positions.
They are backed by an artillery battalion (the Chinese have artillery and armor battalions rather than regiments) and additional artillery companies dug out near the Finger 7 area.
There is also the presence of strong air defense units on the North Bank. There are a large number of HQ-16 medium-range surface-to-air missiles in the area.
The PLA moved from Finger 8 to Finger 4 in May, retreating a bit to settle on the heights overlooking Finger 4. India wants the entire PLA detachment to return to Finger 8. Proposals suggest it could happen in the second phase of disconnection and de-escalation.
The North Bank is one of the “points of contact”, with Indian troops quite close to where the Chinese are. And that’s how the two armies have been for the past six months.
