Def Min confirms in RS about disengagement process from Pangong
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday informed Parliament that India and China have started disengaging their troops from the Pangong Tso (lake) in Ladakh and assured that India did not concede anything while agreeing for mutual withdrawal.
He also said the pullback started after several rounds of talks at the military and diplomatic levels between the two sides over the last few months. The two Corps Commanders will meet again after 48 hours to review the withdrawal process, Rajnath said.
Officials said the two armies were monitoring the withdrawal of tanks and troops from the south and north banks of the Pangong lake through drones and satellite imagery. They also said the local commanders of the two armies were already in regular touch for the last few weeks to commence the pullback and this exercise will continue in future too.
They admitted this was the first step in the long process in breaking the impasse lasting more than 10 months and said the mutually acceptable disengagement at the lake was a confidence building measure to restore peace at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh.
More than one lakh troops from both the sides were in an eyeball to eyeball confrontation since May last year when the first face-off took place at the Pangong Tso. Moreover, both the sides amassed tanks and artillery guns closer to the LAC as tension grew following the bloody brawl at the Galwan valley on June 15. Twenty Indian Army personnel including the commanding officer were killed in the incident.
Meanwhile, Rajnath in his statement on the present situation in Ladakh said in the Rajya Sabha, “I am happy to inform the House today that as a result of our well thought out approach and sustained talks with the Chinese side, we have now been able to reach an agreement on disengagement in the north and south bank of the Pangong Lake.”
As per the agreement, both sides will cease their forward deployments in a phased, coordinated and verified manner in these areas, he said.
The Defence Minister assured the House that India has not conceded anything while entering into the disengagement process, adding there are “some outstanding issues” with regard to deployment and patrolling at some other points along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.
“It has also been agreed to convene the next meeting of the senior commanders within 48 hours after the complete disengagement in the Pangong Lake area so as to address and resolve all other remaining issues,” he said.
Giving details of the pact, the Minister said, “The Chinese side will keep its troop presence in the North Bank area to east of Finger 8. Reciprocally, the Indian troops will be based at their permanent base at Dhan Singh Thapa Post near Finger 3,” he said.
“A similar action would be taken in the South Bank area by both sides. These are mutual and reciprocal steps and any structures that had been built by both sides since April 2020 in both north and south bank area will be removed,” Singh said.
He also informed the Elders that for the time being patrolling by both the armies in that area will not take place till the outstanding issues were addressed in the future military and diplomatic level parley.
“These are mutual and reciprocal steps and any structures that had been built by both sides since April 2020 in both North and South Bank area will be removed and the landforms will be restored. It has also been agreed to have a temporary moratorium on military activities by both sides in the North Bank, including patrolling to the traditional areas,” the Defence Minister said.
Later, some Congress members tried to seek clarifications from Rajnath but Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu did not allow. He said this issue pertained to national security and talks between the two countries were still on. Therefore, it will not be appropriate to seek clarifications, he ruled.
The mutual withdrawal of tanks and infantry combat vehicles from heights on the southern bank of the Pangong Tso began on Wednesday a fortnight after the Corps Commanders of the two armies agreed on January 24 to push for an early disengagement of their frontline troops from the flashpoints.
Friday, 12 February 2021 | PNS | New Delhi
