PLA inflexible, LAC talks hit a deadlock

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 10

India and China military-level talks have hit a deadlock. India has made it clear that pulling back troops from friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh could be done only after the Chinese army ‘disengages’ from areas like Gogra, Hot Springs and the Depsang plains.

So far, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China has been inflexible to this suggestion. As of now, the ‘disengagement’ has happened only at one sector — Pangong Tso.

A statement of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) today gave details of the outcome of the meeting of military commanders on Friday. “It was highlighted that completion of disengagement in other areas would pave the way for two sides to consider de-escalation of forces and ensure full restoration of peace and tranquility and enable progress in bilateral relations,” it said.

Sources in New Delhi explained that until there was a timeline for the three-step process for pulling back troops, weapons and war equipment from the entire stretch of the LAC in eastern Ladakh, India could not focus on a complete pull back only for the Pangong Tso sector.

The MoD statement came after a marathon 13-hour meeting between the Corps Commander-level officers of both sides at the Chushul-Moldo border point on April 9 that ended around 11. 30 pm. “The two sides had a detailed exchange of views for the resolution of the remaining issues related to disengagement along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh,” it said.

The two sides agreed to jointly maintain stability on the ground, avoid new incidents and jointly maintain peace in the border areas.