India and China saw a major development over their military standoff in Ladakh ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, next week, by agreeing to dismantle all temporary structures and other allied infrastructure set up in the area and verify them mutually.
Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson of the Indian external affairs ministry, said this in a statement. He also said that the landforms in the area will be restored to the pre-stand-off period by both sides.
It was also reported that disengagement between the Indian and Chinese troops from Gogra-Hot Springs in Ladakh will be completed by Monday (12), days ahead of the SCO summit where Indian prime minister Narendra Modi might meet Chinese president Xi Jinping on the sidelines.
The two Himalayan neighbours have been able to disengage from the Galwan region where fierce fights between troops on both sides happened in June 2020, resulting in deaths on both sides. New Delhi and Beijing have agreed to cease forward deployments in Gogra-Hot Springs in a phased manner, leading to return of the troops of both the countries to their respective areas, the Indian diplomat said.
His words came a day after both the countries announced the outcome of the 16th round of military talks between them.
Bagchi said that the agreement ensures that the Line of Actual Control will be strictly observed in the area by both the countries with no unilateral change in status quo.
The disengagement between the troops in the Pangong Lake area took place in February 2021 while the withdrawal of troops and equipment in Patrolling Point 17 (A) in Gogra happened in August.
India has been on alert in all strategically key areas along the LAC which is almost 3,500 kilometres long after the Galwan Valley clash of 2020.
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