JOIN USIndian, Chinese officials hold extensive discussions
Army Corps commanders from India and China on Saturday held extensive discussions on the modalities to thrash out a resolution formula to end a month-long stand-off in Ladakh involving the border guarding troops from both sides.
The meeting between senior military leaders was led by Lt Gen Harinder Singh, GOC of Leh-based 14 Corps from the Indian side and Maj Gen Liu Lin, commander, South Xinjiang Military region representing China's People's Liberation Army.
Sources said the discussions continued for more than three hours, but there was no immediate outcome statement from either side.
After the meeting at Moldo - opposite to Chushul in eastern Ladakh - Lt Gen Singh returned to Leh and briefed the details to Army Chief Gen M M Naravane and Northern Command Chief Lt Gen Y K Joshi.
The information is being deliberated upon within the government involving the Prime Minister's Office, National Security Advisor, Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of External Affairs.
Depending on the outcome of such deliberations, the government will take a call on issuing a public statement.
Soon after the meeting began in the morning, the Army issued a brief statement asking the media not to speculate as officials from both sides are engaged in a dialogue.
"Indian and Chinese officials continue to remain engaged through the established military and diplomatic channels to address the current situation in the India-China border areas," an Army spokesperson had stated in the morning.
"At this stage, therefore, any speculative and unsubstantiated reporting about these engagements would not be helpful and the media is advised to refrain from such reporting," he said as the meeting began.
On the table is a road map to restore the status quo in stand-off areas like the northern bank of the Pangong lake where Indian troops used to go patrolling up to a point known as Finger-8. This time, the PLA troops stopped the Indians at Finger 4 -almost 8 km ahead - leading to the confrontation.
For years the finger areas and the 135 km long lake remained a major flashpoint between Indian and Chinese troops. As the lake lies on the border, two-third of it is controlled by the PLA and the rest by the Indian Army.
According to the Indian perception of the Line of Actual Control, the disputed border runs through Finger 8 (the spurs or mountain ridges are named as fingers) because of which Indian troops could go up to that point for patrolling. Going by the Chinese perception, the LAC runs through Finger 4. The area between Finger 4 and Finger 8 is the confrontation zone.
The brief given to Lt Gen Singh and his colleagues was clear - Indian troops were neither the first to block any patrol activity nor started the troop build-up.
Only when the PLA strengthened their numbers, Indian Army brought a battalion as reinforcement from the DBO brigade close to the LAC.
Hours before the talk between military commanders, senior diplomats from China and Indian had a telephonic conversation on the issues and the way forward.
"The two sides should handle their differences through peaceful discussion bearing in mind the importance of respecting each other's sensitivities, concerns and aspirations and not allow them to become disputes," the Ministry of External Affairs had stated on Friday night.