New Delhi: The seventh Corps Commander level meeting between India and China to address the situation in Eastern Ladakh, lasted more than 11 hours and ended around 11:30 PM on Monday.
According to reports, the talks at the Corps commander level began at around 12 noon in Chushul on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
The Indian delegation was led by Lt Gen Harinder Singh, the commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps, and included Naveen Srivastava, Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the Ministry of External Affairs(MEA).
Close to 100,000 Indian and Chinese troops are deployed in eastern Ladakh as both sides are holding their ground and also showing readiness for a long-haul even as diplomatic and military talks to find an amicable solution continue.
Ahead of the talks, reports suggested that India would press for an early and complete disengagement of troops by China from all the friction points besides demanding restoration of immediate restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to April. The standoff began on May 5.
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The agenda for the talks reportedly was to firm up a roadmap for disengagement of troops from all the friction points in eastern Ladakh.
The China Study Group (CSG) comprising Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and three service chiefs had on October 9 finalised India's strategy for the military talks. The CSG is India's key policy-making body on China.
During the sixth round of Corps commander talks on September 21, the Chinese People's Liberation Army(PLA) insisted on withdrawal of troops by the Indian Army from several strategic heights in Mukhpari, Rezang La and Magar hill areas around the southern bank of Pangong lake.
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Indian troops had occupied the strategic heights after the PLA soldiers attempted to intimidate them in the southern bank of Pangong Lake on the intervening night of August 29 and 30.
India has been maintaining that the disengagement process has to start simultaneously at all the friction points.
(With inputs from agencies)
