With Chinese troops reluctant to step back further from Pangong Tso and Patrolling Point 17A at Gogra, two of four friction points along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, a top source in the Army said Thursday that Corps Commanders of the two sides could meet again next week to “break the logjam” over disengagement of troops.
The “need for another military or diplomatic meeting is being felt,” the source said, especially over the situation in Pangong Tso where “some differences have emerged” on the “status and claims” of the LAC and rearward movement of troops. The disengagement and de-escalation processes, the source said, are “presently stalled”.
Also Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs said, “another meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) is also expected to be scheduled soon”.
In May, Chinese troops came up to Finger 4 on the Pangong Tso north bank, 8 km west of Finger 8 which India says marks the LAC. As part of disengagement of troops, they vacated the Finger 4 base area and headed towards Finger 5. But the PLA continues to occupy positions on the ridgeline at Finger 4.
At PP 17A, the Army source said there has been “no change of status since the last report and some troops continue to be engaged at this location”. Sources had earlier said that around 50 troops each on both sides are still within a kilometre of each other at this location.
Source : The India Express
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