Days after India and China reached a key agreement to break the standoff in eastern Ladakh, the disengagement process has begun at two key friction points along the Line of Actual Control. Sources said that disengagement is likely to be completed by October 29, and patrolling will likely be resumed by month-end.
Five tents from either side have been removed at Demchok; at Depsang, half of the temporary structures on either side have been dismantled. The troops on both sides are seen withdrawing to their positions before April 2020, as the troops will prepare to patrol the areas as they did before April 2020. According to reports received, Indian soldiers moved behind the west side of the Charding Nala, as Chinese troops withdrew behind the east side.
Presently, approximately 10 to 12 temporary structures and around 12 tents on both sides must be pulled down. Once all the structures have been removed, a joint verification mechanism is triggered, and the verification is carried out through ground and aerial assessment.
China has reduced the number of its military vehicles in the area, while Indian troops have also fallen back. Once the disengagement is agreed upon, patrolling in Depsang and Demchok will likely happen within four to five days.
Direct communication helped facilitate coordination for the disengagement operations. Every morning, the local military commanders of both countries held hotline discussions to brief each other about their actions planned for that day. They also physically met at designated locations once or twice daily.
Removing tents and temporary infrastructure is proceeding on schedule, and cautious optimism prevails that the momentum will build trust for future negotiations. A military source privy to the disengagement process said trust must be maintained, and subsequent steps must be mutually acceptable. However, talks on the four buffer zones, including Galwan, are yet to be held.
India and China announced a pact over patrolling along the LAC on October 21, a significant breakthrough in the long military standoff that flared after a violent clash in Galwan Valley in May 2020. A day later, China confirmed the arrangement, saying a resolution on “relevant matters” had been achieved while vowing to collaborate with New Delhi to implement such resolutions.
With border disengagement likely to improve bilateral relations between both countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping recently endorsed the agreement at a meeting at the BRICS summit in Kazan. This has prompted directives to revive various bilateral dialogue mechanisms as part of an all-round attempt to normalize relations.
