Ladakh standoff: Indian and Chinese armies hold 8th round of military talks

 | 

NEW DELHI

The Indian and Chinese armies, on Friday, held another round of Corps Commander-level talks to chart a roadmap for disengagement of troops from all the flashpoints in eastern Ladakh, government sources said.

The eighth round of high-level military talks began at around 9:30 am in Chushul on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, they said.

In the last few days, the top military brass of India held a series of meetings where the overall situation in eastern Ladakh was reviewed, and they decided to press for comprehensive disengagement of the troops in talks with China.

The seventh round of Corps Commander-level talks had taken place on October 12, during which China was pressing for the withdrawal of Indian troops from several strategic heights around the Southern bank of Pangong lake.

However, India maintained that the disengagement process has to start simultaneously in all the friction points.

Nearly 50,000 Indian Army troops are currently deployed in a high state of combat readiness in various mountainous locations in eastern Ladakh in sub-zero conditions, as multiple rounds of talks between the two sides have not yielded concrete outcome to resolve the row.

China has also deployed an equal number of troops, according to officials.

The standoff between the two sides erupted in early May.

Last week, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the ties between India and China have come under “severe stress” and that the agreements inked by both sides on the management of the border must be respected “scrupulously” in their “entirety” to restore normalcy in relations.

The Indian delegation at the eighth round of military talks is being led by LT Gen PGK Menon, the newly appointed Commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps. (PTI)