Updated: December 8, 2020 7:06:23 am
The clash in eastern Ladakh is now more than seven months old and there are no signs of disengagement. (Archive)
The Army’s move to occupy the commanding heights in the Chushul subsector and strengthen its position in the border confrontation with China in eastern Ladakh after the political go-ahead was passed in May to occupy “six to seven locations” along the Royal Line of Control (LAC), said a senior government official to The Indian Quick.
Following these instructions, the senior official said, the army formulated plans and outmaneuvered Chinese troops in late August to occupy the heights, including Mukhpari, Rezang La, Rechin La and Gurung Hill, among others, and the southern shore of Pangong Tso in the subsector.
The political leadership “had instructed the forces in the same month of May, to identify six to seven places where we can go,” said the official. Underlining the importance of these charges, the official said that several of them are outside of LAC. “It has given India something to bargain with,” the official said.
On the current situation, the official said, India is awaiting a response from China to a memorandum it sent for the ninth round of discussions at the corps commander level. the eighth round of debates it had taken place on November 6.
According to the official, China had previously shown its willingness to withdraw its troops from Finger 4 to finger 8 on the north bank of Pangong Tso, but that has now changed because “it seems that its top leaders don’t want it.”
At the same time, the official said, China has demanded since September that Indian troops should fall back from the heights in the Chushul subsector and the southern shore of Pangong Tso, where they overlook the Moldo garrison of China and the Spanggur Gap.
“China wants us to go from the south (bank),” the official said, adding, “we have told China that the solution has to be a package,” so that the disconnection of all friction points is discussed in set. “It is not about first vacating the positions of the southern banks,” said the official.
Negotiations can take time and the government is willing to wait, the official said. “The government and forces are ready for the long term if a resolution cannot be found,” the official said.
Referring to the problem at Depsang Plains, the official said it predates the current standoff by several years. In Depsang Plains, which is close to the Daulat Beg Oldie strategic post near the Karakoram Pass in the north, Indian troops cannot access their traditional patrol points 10, 11, 11A, 12 and 13.
In 2013, there was a clash after Chinese troops occupied an area known as the bottleneck, which is located 18 km inside LAC. The problem was resolved after 21 days.
The clash in eastern Ladakh is now over seven months old, with no signs of disengagement. Both countries have placed about 50,000 troops each in the region, along with tanks and air defense assets, amid the harsh winter where the temperature can drop to around minus 40 degrees Celsius in parts.
© The Indian Express (P) Ltd
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