India-China border disengagement in final phase at 2 crucial Ladakh points: Sources

Days after a breakthrough in border talks with China, defence sources have confirmed that disengagement at Eastern Ladakh's Depsang and Demchok is in its final phase, with the first patrols set to resume by month's end.

In Short

• Disengagement at Depsang and Demchok nearly complete
• Temporary structures built over past 4 years being dismantled by both sides
• Cross-verification of the dismantling ends by October 29

Days after a recent breakthrough in border talks with China, defence sources have confirmed that disengagement in Eastern Ladakh's Depsang and Demchok areas is nearing completion. The first patrols along the Line of Actual Control (LAC)—where tensions have remained high since the 2020 Galwan Valley clash—are expected to resume by the end of the month, sources said.

The disengagement process, now in its final phase, involves both sides dismantling temporary structures and fortifications built over the past four-and-a-half years in these contested areas after the border standoff in 2020, sources said. The temporary structures being dismantled include prefabricated sheds and tents used to house equipment, vehicles, and troops.

Sources indicate that cross-verification of the dismantling is likely to be completed by tomorrow (October 29), a step required for official acknowledgment of the disengagement.

Once verification is finalised, both India and China will confirm the cessation of tensions in these areas.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar announced on Sunday (October 27) that India and China would soon resume patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, restoring the arrangement as it was in April 2020, before the border standoff began.

After a key agreement between India and China, the two countries have begun troop disengagement at the two friction points in eastern Ladakh's Demchok and Depsang.

The agreement was arrived at only for these two friction points, and "talks are still underway" for other areas.

GALWAN CLASH

The Galwan incident of June 15, 2020, described as a physical clash that did not involve the use of firearms, resulted in India losing 20 soldiers, including a Colonel. Although China has acknowledged only four casualties, it is estimated that as many as 40 PLA personnel died in the clash.

The confrontation was the deadliest since the 1962 war and marked a significant deterioration in China-India ties, leading to profound shifts in the geopolitical and strategic calculus of both nations and with far-reaching implications on bilateral ties, regional stability and global geopolitics.