The Indian Army on Monday said that China’s People’s Liberation Army made another transgression attempt in the Southern Bank of Pangong Tso Lake in Eastern Ladakh, which was thwarted by India’s troops. This comes around two months after 20 soldiers were killed in the clash with Chinese troops at Galwan Valley and even as the disengagement process is underway.
Army Spokesperson Colonel Aman Anand said in a statement issued on Monday that on the night of August 29 and 30, PLA troops violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in Eastern Ladakh and “carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo.”
“Indian troops preempted this PLA activity on the Southern Bank of Pangong Tso Lake, undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on ground,” the statement said.
“The Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity through dialogue, but is also equally determined to protect its territorial integrity,” the statement added.
This fresh transgression comes in the wake of ongoing disengagement talks following the stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops which had resulted in a violent skirmish along the border in the Galwan Valley in Eastern Ladakh on June 15.
India and China have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks in the last two-and-half months but no significant headway has been made for a resolution to the border row in eastern Ladakh. According to reports, the PLA has pulled back from Galwan Valley and certain other friction points, but the withdrawal of troops has not moved forward in Pangong Tso, Depsang and a couple of other areas.
Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said that, "A complete disengagement in eastern Ladakh requires re-deployment of troops by each side towards their regular posts on the respective sides of the Line of Actual Control.” India has maintained that this can only be achieved through ‘mutually agreed reciprocal actions’ and that it was important that this is achieved through ‘agreed actions by both sides.’
Both sides had held talks the previous week in accordance with the framework of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs.
The spokesperson for the MEA, Anurag Srivastava said,"Both sides also agree that full restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas would be essential for the overall development of bilateral relations.”
He also added that both the sides have agreed to continue engagement through military and diplomatic channels.
The Ministry of Defense had also said that, “Brigade Commander level Flag Meeting is in progress at Chushul to resolve the issues.”
With PTI inputs