India Rebuffs China, Refuses To Disengage Further Along Pangong Tso
August 06, 2020
China wanted India to remove a critical post called the Dhan Singh Thapa post located on Finger 3, one of the spurs along the Lake, for Chinese forces to move back more towards the direction of Finger 8 where India believes the Line of Actual Control (LAC) lies. It is believed that another round of talks will be required to persuade the Chinese to move back.
New Delhi.
India has firmly told China that it will not move back any further in the region along Pangong Lake, as military commanders of the two sides continue discussions on disengagement in Eastern Ladakh.
In the last meeting, India rebuffed China’s demand that its troops vacate a critical post to facilitate further disengagement.
China wanted India to remove a critical post called the Dhan Singh Thapa post located on Finger 3, one of the spurs along the Lake, for Chinese forces to move back more towards the direction of Finger 8 where India believes the Line of Actual Control (LAC) lies.
But India has refused to do so, since the post on Finger 3 is within Indian territory.
The mountain spurs in the area are referred to as ‘Fingers’.
With the last round of commander-level military meeting ending in a deadlock, there is status quo in the Pangong Lake area and Chinese forces continue to occupy areas where the Indian Army used to once patrol.
It is believed that another round of talks will be required to persuade the Chinese to move back in the Pangong region.
This was the fifth round of talks between the countries in an attempt to defuse tensions following clashes between the nations in June in the Galwan Valley that stunned the country. 20 Indian soldiers were killed in action on June 15 when clashes broke out between the two sides.
China’s troops are still present in the Depsang Plains region, Gogra and the Fingers region along the Pangong Lake.
India has been insisting that China must withdraw its forces from areas between Finger Four and Eight.
In Gogra, there is a sense that the Chinese will eventually complete the process of disengaging by 2 km. That pull back has not been completed.
A document uploaded on the Ministry of Defence website states that China’s aggression across Eastern Ladakh began on May 5.
According to the Defence Ministry, ”the situation in Eastern Ladakh arising from unilateral aggression by China continues to be sensitive and requiring close monitoring and prompt action based on an evolving situation.”
It predicts that the crisis will be prolonged. “While engagement and dialogue at military and diplomatic level is continuing to arrive at mutually acceptable consensus, the present standoff is likely to be prolonged,” the ministry says.
Courtesy: Opera News/NDTV