Seeking to resolve the ongoing issues along with the friction points in Gogra, Hot Springs ad Depsang plains in Ladakh, India and China will hold the 11th round of military talks on Friday. Sources from the Indian Army said that India has made clear that it would agree to de-escalation only if it is simultaneous and the withdrawal is equal from both sides and addresses mutual security concerns.
Earlier on April 2, the MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) stressed that India was looking forward to ensuring that the disengagement in the remaining areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at the earliest. Elaborating on the series of engagements since the disengagement in the Pangong Tso region, MEA official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi affirmed that both sides continued to remain in touch. Quoting External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, he stressed that prolonging the situation is in neither country’s interest. According to Bagchi, further disengagement might open up the possibility of de-escalation of forces and progress in bilateral ties.The Ladakh standoff was exacerbated when 21 Indian Army soldiers including a Commanding Officer were martyred in the Galwan Valley on June 15, 2020, when the de-escalation process was underway. This was followed by multiple attempts of provocation by the Chinese side at the end of August. Multiple rounds of military commander-level and WMCC meetings have taken place between the two sides to resolve the crisis. Besides this, EAM S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh have met their respective counterparts. So far India and China’s armies have disengaged from two places, including north and south of Pangong Tso.
The Ladakh standoff was exacerbated when 21 Indian Army soldiers including a Commanding Officer were martyred in the Galwan Valley on June 15, 2020, when the de-escalation process was underway. This was followed by multiple attempts of provocation by the Chinese side at the end of August. Multiple rounds of military commander-level and WMCC meetings have taken place between the two sides to resolve the crisis. Besides this, EAM S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh have met their respective counterparts. So far India and China’s armies have disengaged from two places, including north and south of Pangong Tso.