Next round of talks may be stormy; China fears India will dominate areas after its pullback
Amid efforts to defuse tension at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, the next round of military-level talks may be stormy as China has not pulled back more than 40,000 troops deployed near the front and in operational areas. This comes about even as the two sides had agreed in the four rounds of Corps Commander parleys to retreat to the peacetime locations at the earliest.
Elaborating upon the current scenario, sources said besides not moving back more than 40,000 troops from the front and operational or “depth” areas, the Chinese have also not shifted heavy weapons deployed there. The “depth” areas are generally located 15 to 20 km away from the border, and during the talks the two armies had agreed to thin out troops from there. It was also agreed to return to the respective peacetime locations as soon as possible, sources said adding there were so far no positive signs in this direction from the Chinese.
Officials also said the disengagement process had not made any significant progress since the last Corps Commander-level talks early last week. Contrary to expectations, the Chinese were not showing the eagerness to move out of the Pangong Tso (lake). Incidentally, the face-offs began in May from the Pangong lake when the Chinese army obstructed an Indian patrol after intruding into their zone resulting in fisticuffs.
The Chinese army is now stationed on some of the crucial spurs and is also constructing a jetty on the Indian side in the lake. India has asked the Chinese to remove the jetty and fast interceptor boats, but the Chinese are yet to do so, they added. However, the Chinese army has removed nearly all its makeshift bunkers and tents from the disputed area, reports indicated.
Similarly, the Chinese had earlier removed some of its troops from the Hot Springs and Gogra but were yet to dismantle structures constructed there in the last eight weeks. They are all main “friction points.” The Chinese claim Indian troops will dominate the strategic heights if they retreat to their side of the LAC.
Some semblance of normalcy returned to the LAC after National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on July 5 talked to each other to defuse the volatile border situation. The next day troops from the face-off sites started withdrawing, and the last round of talks between the Corps commanders on July 14 saw both the sides mutually agreeing to monitor further disengagement by troops and verify the development in the next few days.
The Indian side was carrying out this task every 72 hours and sources said based on the pace of withdrawal after verification, the date for the next round of military-level talks will be decided.
Given this situation on ground, the coming days may see more intense dialogue at the military and diplomatic levels to speed up the pace of disengagement and de-escalation as a major confidence building measure, sources said here on Wednesday. The next round of Corps Commander talks may take place later this week or early week, they added.
Realising the evolving scenario, the Army is ready for a long haul in terms of deployment at the LAC even during the harsh winter months in Ladakh and other vulnerable areas, officials said. Earlier, it was anticipated that the stand-off at the four sites in Eastern Ladakh will end in the next few weeks and the two armies will return to reduced patrolling in the winter months.