New Delhi: The Indian and Chinese military commanders will meet at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh’s Depsang and Demchok on Wednesday and verify the status of the disengagement process, sources said.
The aerial verification in Depsang was completed on Tuesday, however, the same could not be done in Demchok due to bad weather, sources said, adding that the process will meet its conclusion today.
Patrolling along LAC expected from October 31: Sources
“By Tuesday evening, tents and temporary structures were removed from both locations. Vehicle and troop withdrawal has also been completed where required. Disengagement and verification were happening simultaneously,” sources said.
Patrolling along the LAC from both countries is expected to begin on Thursday, October 31.
The sources indicated that the troops of the two countries will not conduct joint patrolling, implying that Indian and Chinese soldiers will not patrol together at the same time.
“Soldiers from both countries can go on patrol on the same day with some time gap between them,” they said.
According to sources, the Indian soldiers need to patrol five locations in Depsang and two locations in Demchok. The patrolling party will verify and ensure the removal of the temporary structures from the positions.
Jaishankar on disengagement process
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said on Sunday that the disengagement of troops in Depsang and Demchok was the first step and the next move will be de-escalation which will not take place until India is sure that the same is happening on the other side as well.
“It is obvious it will take time to implement the same. This is the issue of disengagement and patrolling which meant our armies had come very close to each other and now they have gone back to their bases. We hope the 2020 status is restored,” he said.
On October 21, India announced to have reached an agreement with China on patrolling along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, resulting in the beginning of the process of troop disengagement at the two friction points.
