The disengagement procedure between India and China has been completed at Gogra in eastern Ladakh, the second location after Pangong Lake, where the two countries have withdrawn their frontline soldiers and dismantled temporary structures.
At the July 31 conference, the two sides agreed to closely adhere to the Line of Actual Control in this area and ensure that “no unilateral change in status quo” occurs.
Since May 2020, when Indian troops first spotted the infiltration of Chinese soldiers, which resulted in several confrontations, the militaries of India and China have been at odds at multiple sites in eastern Ladakh.
When 20 Indian soldiers were slain in the Galvan Valley in June 2020, the standoff resulted in the first border casualties in almost four decades. China has confirmed that four soldiers were killed in the clash.
Both sides announced in February that the withdrawal of frontline soldiers on the Pangong Lake’s shores had been accomplished.
On Friday, six months later, the Indian Army declared disengagement in another region – Gogra, also known as Patrolling Point 17A – had been completed. Hot Springs, Depsang, and Demchok are the only remaining sites where the two sides are face to face. So far, there has been no response from China.
The Indian Army Has Spoken on the matter.
According to an Army press release, the withdrawal process was agreed to at the 12th round of military negotiations between Corp commanders on July 31. A day after the meeting, a joint press release was published.
“By the agreement, both sides have phased, coordinated, and confirmed the cessation of advance deployments in this area.
The disengagement took place over two days, on the 4th and 5th of August 2021. Both sides’ forces have now arrived at their respective permanent bases,” it stated.
According to the Army, all temporary structures and other infrastructure set up by both sides had been destroyed and “mutually verified,” according to the Army. “Both sides have restored the landform in the area to pre-standoff levels,” it stated.
According to the news statement, the Indian Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police are “completely dedicated to ensuring the nation’s sovereignty and maintaining peace and tranquility along the LAC in the Western Sector,” according to the news statement.
According to the Indian Army, the two Asian powers have expressed a willingness to move the negotiations forward and resolve the remaining issues along the LAC in the western sector on other places of contention.
