China pulling back troops, say reports; Spl Rep speak of need for ”earliest disengagement”

July 6, 2020

New Delhi: In a development indicative of a thaw in the current stand off, there are reports that the China has started pulling back its troops in Galwan valley which was the scene of deadly clash between PLA troops and the Indian Army that resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers.

The Chinese side also sufferred losses but they have not given any figures.

A Reuters report quoting Indian Government sources said that the Chinese were scene dismantling tents and structures near the scene of the June15-16 clash.

Meanwhile, Special Representatives of India and China on the Boundary Question Ajit Doval and Wang Yi who spoke over telephone on Sunday have agreed on the need for earliest disengagement on the border.

According to statement on their conversation released by the External Affairs Ministry on Monday, the two representatives reafirmed the that maitaining peace and tranquility on the border was esssential for the health of bilateral relations.

Describing their conversation as ”frank and in-depth”, the MEA said ”The two Special Representatives agreed that both sides should take guidance from the consensus of the leaders that maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas was essential for the further development of our bilateral relations and that two sides should not allow differences to become disputes. Therefore, they agreed that it was necessary to ensure at the earliest complete disengagement of the troops along the LAC and de-escalation from India-China border areas for full restoration of peace and tranquillity.”

The two sides agreed that both sides should complete the ongoing disengagement process along the LAC expeditiously and also ensure a phased and stepwise de-escalation in the India-China border areas.

They also spoke about the need to strictly respect and observe the line of actual control and not take any unilateral action to alter the status quo and work together to avoid any incident in the future that could disturb peace and tranquillity in border areas.

It was agreed that the diplomatic and military officials of the two sides should continue their discussions, including under the framework of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China border affairs (WMCC), and implement the understandings reached in a timely manner to achieve the above outcomes.

It was also agreed that the two Special Representatives will continue their conversations to ensure full and enduring restoration of peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas in accordance with the bilateral agreements and protocols, the MEA said.

Ever since the clash of June 15-16 in which 20 Indian soldiers were brutally killed in Galwan valley area in eastern Ladakh, there have been three rounds of meetings of both the armies, but without much change on the ground. The External Affairs Ministers of the two countries also spoke over phone last month.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited forward post Numu in Ladakh on Saturday and addressing troops, he had sought to send out a message to China, saying that the era of expansionism was over, and the forces who tried to take this path in the past were either destroyed or had to bend.

–India News Stream