Govt says India-China mutual redeployment of troops on LAC should not be 'misrepresented'

The Government on Thursday sought to justify withdrawal of soldiers from the scenes of the face-offs along India’s disputed boundary with China, stating that it was in accordance with the agreement between senior military commanders of the two nations to re-deploy troops “towards” the “regular posts” on the respective side of the Line of Actual Control.

“There is absolutely no change with respect to India’s position on the Line of Actual Control (with China),” Anurag Srivastava, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said.

The Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) initiated a “disengagement process” early this month to end the eight-week long stand-off along the disputed boundary between the two nations. The withdrawal of Indian Army troops from the face-off scenes along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to reciprocate to pullback by the Chinese PLA as well as the moratorium on patrolling and creation of a “buffer zone” to avoid flashpoints had prompted several strategic affairs experts to raise questions about the process. The opposition Congress also raised questions over the process, criticising the Government led by Bharatiya Janata Party.

“This mutual re-deployment (of troops along the LAC by Indian and Chinese armies) should not be misrepresented,” the MEA spokesperson told journalists on Thursday.

He said that the disengagement process, currently underway in the western sector of India-China disputed boundary, is “specifically aimed at addressing face-off situations and close-up deployments of troops along the LAC”.

“It is based on an understanding between senior military commanders. Both sides have agreed at specific points to re-deploy towards their regular posts on their respective sides of the LAC. These are mutually agreed reciprocal actions to be taken by both sides,” said Srivastava, adding that it is “an ongoing process”.

New Delhi also stated that it was “fully committed to observing and respecting” the LAC between India and China and would not accept any unilateral attempt to change the status quo along the line. “The process of disengagement along the LAC is complex and, therefore, unsubstantiated and inaccurate reports need to be avoided.”