India, China Set To Complete Disengagement Process In Ladakh's Depsang And Demchok Areas By Early Next Week: Report

Indian and Chinese military forces are set to complete disengagement in Ladakh’s Depsang and Demchok areas, returning to the positions they held before April 2020, by Tuesday (29 October), NDTV reported citing Army sources.

Both sides will fall back to pre-April 2020 positions, dismantling all temporary structures like sheds and tents, while ground commanders will continue to hold regular meetings.

Each side will also continue to have surveillance options in the Depsang and Demchok areas, and will inform the other prior to stepping out on patrol "to avoid any miscommunication", the report said.

An agreement on patrolling in these specific areas was reached last week, potentially ending months of diplomatic and military strain along the Line of Actual Control.

Tensions between India and China heightened after skirmishes near Pangong Lake in May 2020 and the Galwan clash in June, in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed in action while unknown number of Chinese troops died.

Following the Galwan incident, both nations increased their military presence along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de facto international border.

India had reportedly deployed close to 70,000 soldiers, over 90 tanks, and hundreds of infantry combat vehicles, alongside Sukhoi and Jaguar fighter jets for rapid response to any Chinese aggression in eastern Ladakh.

Earlier statements from the Army noted that China had also stationed a "considerable" number of troops across Eastern Ladakh and the Northern Front, extending to the vicinity of India’s Eastern Command.

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