India, China mulling withdrawal of troops from Gogra in Ladakh

India and China are working on a proposal to withdraw troops from a friction point in Gogra at the Line of Actual Control LAC in eastern Ladakh in the next few days It could be a significant step towards resolving the continuing border crisisThe final decision on withdrawal of troops from Patrolling Point PP 17A in Gogra would be taken up by the top brass of the military and diplomatic hierarchy Both the countries are also evaluating the interim arrangements suggested during the 12 rounds of the Corp Commanderlevel meeting on July 31In a joint statement of the 12th Round of IndiaChina Corps commander level meeting it was said that the two sides also agreed that in the interim they will continue their effective efforts in ensuring stability along the LAC in the Western Sector and jointly maintain peace and tranquillity On July 31 India and China military delegates deliberated for almost nine hours to resolve the border crisis at Moldo in the Ladakh regionThe Indian Army stated that this round of meeting was held following the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of India and Peoples Republic of China on July 14 in Dushanbe and the 22nd meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on IndiaChina Border Affairs WMCC held on June 25The two sides had a candid and indepth exchange of views on resolution of remaining areas related to disengagement along the Line of Actual Control in the Western Sector of IndiaChina border areas said Indian Army in the statementThe force further stated that the two sides noted that this round of meeting was constructive which further enhanced mutual understanding They agreed to resolve the remaining issues in an expeditious manner in accordance with the existing agreements and protocols and maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiationsThe talks between the two countries happened after a gap of three months Indian military delegates discussed disengagement at friction areas like Hot Springs Gogra and 900 square km Depsang plains The Indian delegation was led by Lehbased XIV Corps chief Lt Gen PGK Menon and Additional Secretary East Asia in the Ministry of External Affairs Naveen SrivastavaAlso Read India China hold 12th round of military talks focus on disengagement in Gogra Hot SpringsThe Chinese military delegation was led by Commander of the PLAs Western Theatre Command Xu Qiling who was appointed earlier this month The buildup in Depsang was not being considered part of the current standoff that started in May last year as that escalation took place in 2013 India has insisted during recent military commander meetings to resolve all issues along the LACIn April during 11th round of Corps Commanderlevel talk the focus was also on disengagement on friction points at Gogra Hot Springs and Depsang Till now apart from 12 round of Corps Commanderslevel talks the two forces have also held 10 Major Generals level 55 Brigadierslevel talks and 1450 calls over the hotlines So far the troops of the two Himalayan giants have disengaged from both the banks of Pangong Tso in February this yearThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever