The withdrawal of troops from Depsang and Demchok on the Indo-China border was completed on Wednesday. Soldiers of China and India will feed each other sweets on Diwali on Thursday. A discussion will be held soon between the officers of the Ground Commander regarding patrolling. Ground commanders consist of officers of the rank of Brigadier and below.
On the agreement between India and China regarding patrolling on the LAC, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had said on October 27 that recalling the troops was the first step. The second step is to reduce stress. This tension will be reduced only when India is convinced that China wants the same. After de-stressing, how to manage the border will be discussed.
Know how the army retreated on the India-China border
There has been tension between India and China over the border dispute in eastern Ladakh for four years. An agreement has now been reached after two years of long negotiations. Both teams will retreat from the disputed points of Depsang and Demchok.
18 October: Information was given about the withdrawal of the army from Depsang and Demchok. It was said that from here both the armies will return to the status quo from April 2020. Also, the army will patrol the same areas, where it was patrolling before April 2020. Apart from this, commander level meetings will continue.
In 2020, tension was seen in Depsang and Demchok after intense clashes between Indian and Chinese troops. After almost 4 years, a new patrol agreement was signed between the two countries on 21 October. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar said that the aim is to prevent Galwan-like clashes in Ladakh and restore the status quo.
25 October: Indian and Chinese troops have started withdrawing from the eastern Ladakh border since Friday, October 25. According to news agency ANI, both armies have removed their temporary tents and sheds in Demchok and Depsang points in eastern Ladakh. Vehicles and military equipment are also being taken back.
According to Army sources, both countries will completely withdraw their forces from Depsang and Demchok by October 28 and 29. A limited number of soldiers have been assigned for patrolling. Information about what this number is has not yet surfaced.
Now read full details of India-China border dispute…
No decision yet on Galwan Ghati-Gogra Hot Springs patrolling The agreement agreed on the points coming under Depsang in Ladakh, but said nothing about patrolling Galwan Ghat in Demchok and Gogra Hot Springs.
Deepsang: According to the Indian Army, soldiers will now be able to go up to 10, 11, 11-A, 12 and 13 patrol points in Depsang for patrolling.
Demchok: Patrol Point-14 i.e. Galwan Ghati, Gogra Hot Springs i.e. PP-15 and PP-17 are buffer zones. Reports quoted sources as saying that patrols here would be considered later. A buffer zone is an area where the two armies do not come face to face. This zone separates the opposing forces.
India-China patrol agreement in 3 points
1. The agreement was finalized ahead of PM Narendra Modi's BRICS visit. A meeting was held between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in BRICS. Modi said here that it is necessary to maintain peace under all circumstances.
2. China and India agreed to restore the April 2020 status quo on the LAC in eastern Ladakh. This means that now the Chinese army will withdraw from the areas where it has encroached.
3. Indian External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikram Mistry said that a proposal has been prepared to address issues arising after 2020 with patrolling the border areas of India and China. Both countries will take action on this.
On 15 June 2020, 20 Indian soldiers were martyred in the Galwan encounter.
This image is of a bloody clash between Indo-Chinese troops in Galwan, Ladakh on 15 June 2020. After this, the dispute between the two countries escalated.
On June 15, 2020, China deployed troops in the border areas of eastern Ladakh on the pretext of an exercise. After this incidents of infiltration took place at many places.
The Indian government also deployed the same number of troops as China in the area. The situation became so bad that bullets were fired at the LAC.
Meanwhile, on June 15, 20 Indian soldiers were martyred in a clash with the Chinese army in the Galwan Valley. Later India also gave a befitting reply to this. About 60 Chinese soldiers were killed in this.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
