New Delhi: India and China on Tuesday completed the disengagement process from the Gogra-Hot Springs area (Patrolling Point-15) in eastern Ladakh after nearly 28 months of the military standoff there.
The two sides also completed the verification of each other’s positions after pulling back troops from the friction point, sources said. All the temporary infrastructures created at the face-off site have also been dismantled.
“Both sides have completed the disengagement at PP-15 in a phased, coordinated and verified manner,” the sources said on Tuesday.
India and China are likely to set up a buffer zone in the area where no patrolling can take place by either side.
Local Chushul councillor Konchok Stan-zin claimed Tuesday that India has also withdrawn from Patrolling Point 16 as part of the disengagement arrangement.
“Unfortunately, India has withdrawn from Patrolling Point 16, known as discharge ground, its decades-old permanent post located there. Very important Kugrang Valley got disputed. Miles of land become a buffer zone from the Indian side,” tweeted Mr Stanzin.
After the disengagement from PP-15, the focus has shifted now to the standoff at Demchock, where the PLA forces are blocking Indian troops from patrolling at Depsang Plains.
India may also also be looking at the current standoff to settle other pending issues with China before moving to the de-escalation of forces from the area.
Since the standoff began in April 2020 between the two nations, disengagement has been achieved at some friction points, which include Galwan, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A) and now the Gogra-Hot Springs general area (Patrolling Point-15).
With no de-escalation, the Indian Army will have to prepare to deploy its troops at forward posts in Ladakh for the harsh winter for the third straight year.
India has deployed around 50,000 troops in the sector to deal with any aggression by the PLA. The Indian Army will have to store essential supplies for the winter deployment as the area gets cut off from the rest of the country during the snowfall period.
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