Dialogue with China troops in Ladakh -Several rounds of meetings so far had not yielded any result: Defence ministry official

An attestation parade in Leh on Saturday. Twenty-seven cadets were inducted into the Ladakh Scouts Regiment as soldiers. (PTI) 

TT,  16.06.20, New Delhi : The Indian and Chinese armies on Monday held talks at the brigade commander and battalion commander level to find ways to resolve the tense standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. 

Sources said the two sides on Monday met in Galwan Valley, one of the four standoff locations where Chinese troops are said to have transgressed into Indian territory and set up tents, to resolve the over-a-month-long stalemate. 

“Both sides carried forward the positives of the June 6 dialogue between the military commanders. Continuous rounds of talks are going on between the two sides since then to resolve the dispute amicably,” said a defence ministry official. 

He, however, said several rounds of meetings so far had not yielded any result. 

“The ongoing talks between the two sides have been very positive. There has not been any fresh face-off between the two sides after the dialogue started on June 6. We hope a breakthrough will be achieved sooner rather than later,” he said. 

India’s army chief, General M.M. Naravane, on Saturday had said the situation along the China border was “under control” and that “a lot of” disengagement had taken place. 

The general also expressed hope that “through the continued dialogue, all perceived differences will be set to rest”. 

Some retired veterans were quick to flag the army’s complete silence for almost four weeks and the initial denial of the standoff. 

“Initially, the army and the government had completely denied reports of standoff and incursion by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. If there is no transgression, then why is the army chief saying a lot of disengagement had taken place?” asked a veteran. 

Sources said the army had moved its troops forward recently along the 3,488km border in response to the Chinese build-up, amid the ongoing military and diplomatic talks. 

The PLA is said to have ramped up its presence along the entire stretch of the LAC, from Leh to Arunachal Pradesh, and deployed over 10,000 troops in the Ladakh sector alone. 

A defence ministry official said the ground situation at the Pangong Lake, two-thirds of which is under China’s control, was still very tense. 

Both sides have been eyeball to eyeball since early last month after several soldiers were injured in a violent clash involving fisticuffs and stones near the Pangong Lake. 

“The distance between the two sides at the Pangong Lake is just a few hundred metres,” the official said. 

During the talks, the Indian side, he said, has asserted that Chinese troops back off and status quo is restored at the LAC while the PLA has been demanding that Delhi stops border infrastructure project and stops the construction of a new road that connects Leh to Karakoram Pass. 

“Their demand is very unjustified as the road construction is taking place inside our territory. In the past, the PLA had built roads and carried out other infrastructure projects in their territory to which India never objected,” the official said. 

 It seems, he said, there is more to it than what they have been demanding.