After military disengagement was recently achieved in Depsang and Demchok, Indian and Chinese troops exchanged Diwali sweets at five locations along the LAC, including two in Ladakh. This gesture is in line with last week’s patrolling deal.
It happened in Chushul Maldo and Daulat Beg Oldi in the Ladakh region, Banchha near Kibutu, Bumla in Arunachal Pradesh, and Nathula in Sikkim. The patrolling deal envisages withdrawing troops and temporary structures such as tents along with other military installations from the Depsang plains and Demchok and forces returning to positions occupied by them before April 2020.
This can be articulated via This agreement, which aims at trying to put to an end nearly 4 years of military and diplomatic rivalry that emanated from scuffles and actual fighting, especially in the Pangong Tso and Gauwlan, where twenty Indian troops perished in Galwan.
The process of withdrawing the Chinese troops is still being verified. To avoid such incidents, both countries’ ground commanders should communicate before normal patrolling. Both nations will keep early warning systems in the Depsang and Demchok regions.
Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedי declared that military cultures between the two countries need to be rebuilt trust. India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar underlined that the timelines are directly proportional to the confidence in Beijing’s commitment to the deal. Some remain in the Gogra-Hot Springs areas of the disputed region of Ladakh.
Depsang is important for its access to the Daulat Beg Oldi airstrip; Demchok is an area bisected by the LAC, with Indian-controlled territory including land to China’s west. After this marginalization, it will focus on border management discourses.
