India and China will hold the ninth round of military level talks on Sunday to find ways to defuse stand-offs now on for the last nine months at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh. The latest talks take place after a gap of nearly two months and chances of a major breakthrough are unlikely.
The logjam is persisting as China wants India to first withdraw its troops from the heights of southern and northern banks of the Pangong Tas (lake). In August, the Indian Army secured these hilltops overlooking all the crucial Chinese deployments thereby putting them at a disadvantage.
Both the sides have so far not managed to reach a mutually agreed plan for disengagement and de-escalation.
India, on the other hand, has all along maintained that China has to first pull back its troops from all the five face off sites in Eastern Ladakh besides thinning out its tank and artillery gun reinforcements in the depth areas.
At present, more than one lakh troops from both the sides are in an eyeball to eyeball confrontation at the border and prepared for a long haul.
Officials said here on Saturday the Corps Commander level parleys will take at Chushul-Moldo border meeting point at the LAC. The previous eight rounds since the stand-offs began in May were also held there. The last round was held on November six last year.
While the talks at the military and diplomatic levels have so far not yielded any positive results, both the countries have reiterated their commitment to resolve the issue through dialogue. They have also time and again said they will abide by the agreements reached between the external affairs ministers of the two countries in September last year during one of one talks in Moscow. The Commanders also said the two armies will ensure their soldiers exercise restraint and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation.
Give the current security situation on the LAC with tension unabated, Army Chief General M M Naravane on January 12 said the Indian Army was prepared to hold its ground in eastern Ladakh “for as long as it takes” to achieve national objectives in case the ongoing military and diplomatic talks with China are prolonged.