India, China begin disengagement in Gogra-Hotsprings PP-15 in eastern Ladakh

Indian and Chinese troops on Thursday began withdrawing from the Gogra-Hot Springs (Patrol Point-15) flashpoint in eastern Ladakh more than two years after a tense stand-off that had led to a deadly clash and large-scale deployment of troops by the two neighbours near the disputed boundary.

The breakthrough comes a week ahead of a proposed meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping on the sideline of a multilateral summit in Uzbekistan.

“On September 8, 2022, according to the consensus reached in the 16th round of India-China Corps Commander level meeting, the Indian and Chinese troops in the area of Gogra-Hot Springs (PP-15) have begun to disengage in a coordinated and planned way, which is conducive to the peace and tranquility in the border areas,” the two sides said in a joint statement.

The 16th round of talks between senior military commanders happened on July 17 when the two delegations led by Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta, the General Officer Commanding of Leh-based 4 Corps and Maj Gen Yang Lin, the Commander of the South Xinjiang Military District of Chinese People’s Liberation Army agreed on the modalities of the withdrawal.

While the joint statement doesn’t provide any further details, the disengagement process generally involves dismantling of temporary infrastructures, before the troops are retreated to the depth area.

The Sino-Indian conflict – considered the most serious tussle between the two sides since the 1962 war – commenced in April-May 2020 with China amassing a large number of troops along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, flouting the 1993 and 1996 bilateral agreements for maintaining peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control pending the resolution of the boundary dispute.

The India Army’s counter-deployment to resist aggressive moves by the PLA troops led to several confrontations and a violent hand-to-hand combat on June 15, 2020 at Galwan valley when the Indian Army lost 20 of its soldiers including a Col rank officer. The PLA too lost many troops but the Chinese admitted the death of only four soldiers in the clash.

As tension spiraled, the two sides deployed thousands of troops and heavy-duty weapons to guard the disputed boundary while engaging in bilateral talks involving senior military leaders and experienced diplomats.

This led to disengagement first from the Galwan Valley in June 2020 and subsequently from both banks of Pangong Tso in February 2021 and from Gogra Post (PP-17A) in August 2021.

Though a disengagement pact for the Hot Springs area (PP-15) was perceived as a “low hanging fruit” in the negotiation after the withdrawal at Gogra Post in August 2021, the two sides could not agree on it for more than a year.

Military experts welcomed the move, but cautioned that domination of the pass at PP-15 would be crucial. “It is a significant step forward. But the point is (who) would be controlling the pass at PP-15. How much is the distance for the patrolling moratorium along Kurang Nallah at PP15?" wondered Lt Gen Rakesh Sharma, a former GOC of the 14 Corps in his tweets.

The next flashpoint on the list is Depsang, but sources said its resolution would be difficult as Chinese blockade of the Indian patrol points at Depsang predates the current crisis. The PLA blocked the Indian Army’s access to Patrol Points 10, 11, 12, 12A and 13 by deploying troops in Depsang Bulge, well inside the Indian territory along the LAC.