Patrolling to resume as was being done till 2020, says Jaishankar

Resumption of patrolling means the buffer zones set up after disengagement from the friction points will be done away with; however, there is still no clarity on the modalities of disengagement process

The breakthrough between India and China towards disengagement in eastern Ladakh comes after two years of stalemate over two remaining friction points, Depsang and Demchok, and according to defence sources will see the resumption of patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in this sector. This was later confirmed by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar who said the understanding is that “we will be able to do patrolling which we were doing till 2020”.

Resumption of patrolling as was in 2020 means that the buffer zones set up after disengagement from the friction points will be done away with. However, there is still no clarity on the modalities of the disengagement process. The understanding reached is to restore patrolling as was being done earlier, a source in the know said adding that a frequency would be worked out and done in a coordinated manner to avoid potential face-offs and clashes.

“There are areas which, for various reasons after 2020, they have blocked us, so we had blocked them... We have reached an understanding which will allow the patrolling... Depsang, that’s not the only place there are other places also. The understanding is that we will be able to do patrolling which we were doing till 2020,” Dr. Jaishankar said speaking at an event. Terming it a positive development, he said the agreement has just been reached and advised “caution” stating that there “will be meetings now to see what are the next steps.”

Earlier in the day, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced that they have reached an agreement for patrolling arrangements, leading to disengagement and a resolution of the issues that had arisen in these areas in 2020. However, there is no movement yet on de-escalation of the thousands of troops deployed in eastern Ladakh since the standoff began.

Demchok is one of the two mutually agreed disputed areas in eastern Ladakh with each side having varying claims in the Charding La area. China has set up tents on the Indian side of Charding Nala in 2017 and the presence expanded as the standoff unfolded in April 2020. China insists that these two issues predate the 2020 standoff, while India stresses that the ingress in 2020 has to be revoked, which had caused a stalemate in the talks.

At Depsang plains, Chinese troops have been blocking Indian patrols for sometime from going beyond the Y-junction by deliberately giving a faceoff due to which the Indian Army has not been able to access the Patrolling Points (PP) 10, 11, 11A, 12 and 13 located on the Limit of Patrolling, which lies before the LAC. India last accessed the PPs in Depsang in January/February 2020, as reported by The Hindu in 2020.

As per agreed protocols, both side undertake a banner drill when patrols come face to face as a way to prevent their escalation which involves both sides waving banners at each other and asserting their claim and then return. China has been using this to block Indian patrols. As agreed by both sides during the initial phases of disengagement following the violent clash at Galwan in June 2020, the first step is disengagement from all friction areas, work out new patrolling norms and then de-escalation which is pulling back the thousands of additional troops inducted along the LAC since the standoff began.

Since the Corps Commander-level talks in 2020, the two sides have so far undertaken disengagement from five friction points — from Galwan after the violent clash in June 2020, from the north and south banks of Pangong Tso in February 2021, from Patrolling Point(PP) 17 in the Gogra-Hot Springs area in August 2021 and PP15 in September 2022. The last disengagement, from PP15, was a result of the understanding reached during the 16th round of Corps Commander-level military talks on July 17, 2022.

Speaking at an event earlier this month, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi termed the ground situation in eastern Ladakh as “stable” but it is “not normal and is “sensitive.” “We want the situation that existed pre-April 2020 should be restored, whether it be the ground occupation, situation, the buffer zones that have been created or the patrolling that has been planned. Till the time that is not restored, as far as we are concerned, the situation will remain sensitive and we are operationally prepared to face any contingency... and in the entire gamut we see that trust has been the biggest casualty,” he had stated.

The Union Minister further said that while on the one hand they obviously had to do counter deployments, but side by side they have been negotiating. In fact, since September 2020 when he met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow. It must be noted that China firmly came to the negotiating table only after the actions of the Indian Army on the Kailash ranges that gave tactical advantage vis-a-vis Chinese positions across the other side as well as surrounding Chinese build-up around Finger 4 on the north bank at extreme high altitudes end-August 2020.

It has been a very “patient” process, though more complicated than how it should have been, Dr. Jaishankar said. “The fact is if we are able, as we now have, to reach an understanding regarding patrolling, observing the sanctity of the LAC. What it does is, it creates a basis that peace and tranquillity, which should be on the border areas, which were there before 2020. And hopefully we will be able to come back to that peace and tranquillity.”

That was our major concern, he said adding, “We always said, if you disturb the peace and tranquillity, how can other areas of bilateral ties improve?”

Published - October 21, 2024 09:43 pm IST