NEW DELHI: India stuck to its stand of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army withdrawing its troops from the Indian claim areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) during the talks between military commanders of the Indian Army and the PLA on Saturday.
As senior Army officer aware of the situation said the meeting went on for about five hours with a lunch break in between.
“The meeting started at 11.30 am at the Moldo border personnel meeting hut on the Chinese side of the LAC and was on till 5.30 pm,” the sources said. The Chinese side is also understood to have repeated its demand of India halting construction of roads and bridges in the Ladakh sector.
The Indian delegation was led by 14 Corps Commander Lt Gen Harinder Singh and China was represented by South Xinjiang Military Division Corps Commander Major General Lin Liu.
Around eight other officers from both sides were also present. As per the protocol, sources said, Lt Gen Singh briefed Army Chief General MM Naravane and Northern Army Commander Lt Gen YK Joshi after reaching the corps headquarters at Leh. Sources said the Prime Minister’s Office was updated and a briefing was also given to officials in the Ministry of External Affairs.
A Corps Commander-level talk was held for the first time to resolve a border dispute.
The two sides have held around a dozen rounds of talks since the first week of May when a standoff started at the Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh. The talks included three division commander- l eve l talks.
On Friday, diplomats from the two sides also interacted through video-conferencing and agreed to handle “their differences through a peaceful discussion.”
The standoff started at Finger 4 on the northern flank of the Pangong Lake but it extended to three more positions, two in the Galwan Valley and at the Gogra post in the hot spring sector. The Indian side has asked for restoration of status quo ante and the removal of temporary camps erected by the PLA. The motive is a de-escalation of the forces.
PLA too adament
At the high-level meeting, The Chinese side is also understood to have repeated its demand of India halting construction of roads and bridges in the Ladakh sector