Both Indian and Chinese troops retreat 2 km each in Galwan valley

Complete disengagement along LAC necessary: Ajit Doval & Wang Yi

LEH: Both Indian and Chinese troops have retreated two kilometres each along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Galwan Valley, where 20 Indian and unknown number of Chinese soldiers were killed in a violent face-off last month.

Top official sources said that both sides retreated two kilometres simultaneously on Sunday, following several rounds of talks which had begun after the clash on June 15. The disengagement between Indian and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) happened as per the agreed terms in the Corps Commander's meeting.

With the retreat from both sides, a four-kilometre no-man zone has been created. "Four kilometres in the highly mountainous terrain like Galwan valley, deprives both sides to see each other's installations and reinforcements," sources said.

The two sides have also agreed, sources said, not to do any aerial surveillance of the retreated area, to rebuild trust which was badly damaged due to the June 15 bloodbath.

"As a result, neither side would really know what the other side is doing," a military source said.

Indian Navy's P-8I aircraft generally used for maritime patrol and reconnaissance had been pressed into service in Ladakh for high altitude surveillance. The P-8Is carried out similar surveillance operations during the 2017 India-China standoff in Doklam in Sikkim.

However, sources said PLA has removed tents and structures at PP14 and rearward movement of vehicles of the PLA were seen at general area Galwan, Hotsprings and Gogra.

The retreat on Sunday, sources said, is limited to these areas and not other contentious points along the LAC. Around 30,000 troops of Indian Army are in an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation with Chinese troops along the LAC in Ladakh, following the additional deployment of three brigades since the violent face-off last month.

Complete disengagement of troops along LAC necessary: In what is being perceived to be a thaw in the India-China face off in Eastern Lasakh's Galwan Valley , the Special Representatives of India and China on the Boundary Question — Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor of India and Wang Yi, State Councillor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of China spoke on telephone.

In their conversation on Sunday, the two Special Representatives had a frank and in-depth exchange of views on the recent developments in the Western Sector of the India-China border areas.

They agreed that both sides should take guidance from the consensus of the leaders that maintenance of peace and tranquility in the India-China border areas was essential for the further development of our bilateral relations and that two sides should not allow differences to become disputes. So it was necessary to ensure at the earliest complete disengagement of the troops along the LAC and de-escalation from India-China border areas for full restoration of peace and tranquility.

In this regard, they further agreed that both the sides should complete the ongoing disengagement process along the LAC expeditiously. The two sides should also ensure a phased and stepwise de-escalation in the India-China border areas.

They re-affirmed that both the sides should strictly respect and observe the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and should not take any unilateral action to alter the status quo and work together to avoid any incident in the future that could disturb peace and tranquility in border areas.

The two Special Representatives agreed that the diplomatic and military officials of the two sides should continue their discussions, including under the framework of the 'Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination' on India-China border affairs (WMCC), and implement the understandings reached in a timely manner to achieve the above outcomes.

It was also agreed that the two Special Representatives will continue their conversations to ensure full and enduring restoration of peace and tranquility in the India-China border areas in accordance with the bilateral agreements and protocols. (IANS)

Also Watch: #NewsMakers: Discourse on Saving Dehing-Patkai