NEW DELHI: A high-level India China Corps Commanders meeting is scheduled for Monday but senior officials are not expecting any breakthrough as no outcomes have been achieved in previous meetings.
“The meeting is to take place tomorrow but we cannot expect any breakthrough as far as the outcome is concerned,” an official said.
This will be the seventh such meeting with the previous one held on September 21.
No conclusions could be drawn in previous meets as China was adamant on its proposal that India move its troops from the southern bank of Pangong Tso lake but the latter made it clear that disengagement should be mutual and only then can all standoff locations be discussed.
This will be the first senior officials level meeting between the two countries since China added a new twist on September 29 that as per them, the LAC proposed in 1959 was recognised by them but India was quick to express objection and called it a 'unilaterally defined boundary' which they (India) never accepted.
The said LAC was proposed by the then Chinese premier Zhou Enlai in a letter sent to then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
Indian Air force Chief RKS Bhadauria termed the current standoff as a “no war no peace” situation a few days back in Delhi and had added that India was prepared for any eventuality as far as China was concerned.
This meeting will also be the last one for Lt Gen Harinder Singh, the current Corps Commander of Indian Army’s Leh-based XIV Corps.
“Lt Gen PGK Menon who is designated to be the next Corps Commander will also be part of the team meeting tomorrow,” told the officer.
Singh has completed his tenure as the Corps Commander and had been leading the Indian military-level talks.
He is designated to assume the charge as Commandant, Indian Military Academy (IMA) next month.
Indian and Chinese soldiers are locked in a prolonged standoff since May when the latter tried to unilaterally change the status quo at the LAC in Eastern Ladakh by moving its forces at multiple points.