India and China observed a significant development in their disturbed border affairs on Tuesday (13) ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit (September 15-16) kicking off in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, by completing disengagement at Patrolling Point (PP) 15 in the Gogra-Hot Springs of eastern Ladakh region in a phased and verified manner, News18 reported citing sources in India's defence ministry.
Local commanders from both sides had met since the 16th round of military talks between the two neighbours on July 17, in which much of the bigger issues between them were resolved, to discuss issues that were pending -- such as distances to which the respective troops would retreat on both sides of the border and other modalities, the report added.
The disengagement at PP 15 marks a significant development in the resolution of the ongoing military standoff between India and China. This would also see the troops of the two nuclear-armed powers returning to the pre-2020 positions along their Line of Actual Control.
However, India and China are yet to resolve long-standing issues at Depsang Plains and Demchok and achieve an overall de-escalation along the LAC, with both sides deploying almost 50,000 troops in the Ladakh region since the standoff started in 2020.
This photograph taken on April 28, 2026 shows a boy getting "thali", a sacred thread tied to his neck symbolising marriage to Hindu warrior god Aravan during the annual Koovagam transgender festival at the Koothandavar temple in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi district. For a few fleeting days each year, at the heart of the Koothandavar Temple where ostracised transgender community members from across India come to honour the Hindu deity Aravan, a tradition rooted in millennia-old Hindu texts -- and to enjoy a brief oasis of freedom.Getty Images
This photograph taken on April 29, 2026 shows a member of the transgender community mourning as a priest cuts the "thali", a sacred thread symbolising end of her marriage to Hindu warrior god Aravan during the annual Koovagam transgender festival at the Koothandavar temple in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi district. For a few fleeting days each year, at the heart of the Koothandavar Temple where ostracised transgender community members from across India come to honour the Hindu deity Aravan, a tradition rooted in millennia-old Hindu texts -- and to enjoy a brief oasis of freedom. Getty Images