India and China military to have eight round of diplomatic discussions in the forthcoming week to talk about disengagement in Ladakh though the army gears up for snow and winter deployment alongside the Line of Actual Control (LAC) which extends over 1,597 km.
As per the senior officials, both the countries are showing patience to resolve the friction points but have taken the step to keep the conversation window open at the levels of military commander and diplomacy. The main objective of the discussion meeting is to curb any aggravation over the friction points either citing any accident or aggression of a commander.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has given the proposal of withdrawing armoured and artillery units being a part of initial de-escalation and further proceed for disengagement of infantry. In contrast, the Indian Army had responded with clarity that the withdrawal of armoured units is not possible as it will raise the potential of adversary.
A senior official stated, “If India were to withdraw its armoured units from south of Pangong Tso to beyond Chang La or beyond Marsimik La, then they will never reach back to the contested points in a worst-case scenario as both the passes are blocked by heavy snow till April every year. The PLA, on the other hand, have an advantage as they have a six-lane Kashgar-Lhasa highway just 10 km from both Marsimik La and Kongka La with roads running right up to their posts.”
While the situation at the border is still tensed-up, the Indian Army and the PLA are intact at the contested points with separation distance to avert any form of accident. Along the LAC, Indian medical team is available for the victims at the high-altitude to get immediate relief and treatment.
