India rejects China's suggestion of equidistant disengagement from Finger area in Ladakh

Amid the ongoing border dispute between India and China, the Chinese side had made a suggestion that both India and China should go back equidistantly from the Finger-4 area. However, India has rejected Chinese suggestion.

New Delhi: While efforts are underway to resolve the ongoing border dispute, India has rejected the Chinese suggestion to disengage equidistantly from the Finger area in Eastern Ladakh.

After the diplomatic level talks, the two sides are also working to hold more military-level talks to resolve the boundary issue which has been going on for more than three months now.

Meanwhile, the top military commanders have also told their field commanders to be fully prepared for any eventuality or action on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) even as the Indian side is preparing for a long haul on the border.

"The Chinese side had made a suggestion that both India and China should go back equidistantly from the Finger-4 area. The suggestion is not acceptable to the Indian side," Sources said.

At the moment, the Chinese are around the Finger 5 near the Pangong Tso lake and have deployed a large number of troops and equipment at the over five-kilometer stretch from Finger 5 to Finger 8 beyond which the Chinese bases existed before April-May timeframe.

The Indian side is clear that the Chinese should disengage completely from the Finger area and move back to their original location.

Sources said accepting the Chinese side's suggestion was out of the question. India is also raising the point about Chinese violating the agreements between both sides during 1993-1996 which prohibits construction of any kind at locations where the perception of the LAC differed between both sides.

The Chinese have done construction in the Finger area also where Indian territory extends up to Finger 8.

The Indian side is firm that the Chinese should first disengage and then the two sides can discuss de-escalation from Eastern Ladakh and Depsang Plains and Daulat Beg Oldi areas.

India and China have been engaged in a dispute since April-May time frame when the Chinese moved troops along the Eastern Ladakh sector transgressing in multiple areas like Finger, Galwan valley, Gogra heights, and Hot Springs.

ANI