India to ask China to restore status quo ante along disputed boundary

India will ask China on Saturday to restore status quo ante in order to defuse tension along the disputed boundary between the two nations in eastern Ladakh.

The Indian Army noticed a lull in the activities of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) – the de facto border between the two nations – on the northern bank of the Pangong Tso lake in Ladakh over the past two days. The Chinese PLA soldiers also retreated a bit in one of the locations where they had transgressed the LAC and entered into the territory claimed by India.

New Delhi, however, has sent words to Lt Gen Harinder Singh, General Officer Commanding (GoC) of the 14 corps of the Indian Army, that he must insist on complete withdrawal of the Chinese PLA troops from India’s side of the LAC, sources told the DH.

New Delhi also wants the Chinese PLA to demolish the bunker and the moat its soldiers built to block the access of the Indian Army to an area where they were regularly patrolling before the scuffle on May 5.

Singh will lead the Indian Army delegation in the meeting with the Chinese PLA officials at the Chushul-Moldo junction in eastern Ladakh on Saturday.

The PLA deployed nearly 5000 soldiers in a large camp set up recently at Galwan Valley within the territory claimed by China – obviously to support the smaller number of troops, who transgressed the LAC in several locations and entered into the areas claimed by India. The Indian Army also rushed additional troops “in adequate numbers” in response to the deployment by the Chinese PLA.

The build-ups by both sides escalated tension along the LAC and the military officials and diplomats of both sides are now holding discussions to defuse the situation.

The military officials of India and China will try to build on the discussion held between the diplomats of the two sides over the past few days and will try to narrow differences to de-escalate the situation.

New Delhi already asked Beijing to ensure that the Chinese PLA strictly adhere to the “strategic guidance” Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping had agreed to issue to militaries of the two nations during their informal summits in April 2018 and October 2019.

New Delhi expects that the Chinese PLA officials would reiterate their objection to construction of a road and a bridge as well as some other infrastructure India built on its side of the LAC.

The current tension between Indian Army and the Chinese PLA along the LAC had its origin in China’s unease over construction of infrastructure by India in the border areas. Beijing apparently, perceived construction of such infrastructure as a prelude to a military move by New Delhi towards Aksai Chin – a disputed area India claims as its own and accuses China of illegally occupying.