Indian, Chinese armies complete disengagement in Gogra point in eastern Ladakh

After nearly 15 months of faceoff Indian and Chinese armies have completed the disengagement process and restored the prestandoff ground position in the Gogra friction point in eastern Ladakh in yet another forward movement towards overall improvement of the situation in the areaAnnouncing the development the Indian Army said the disengagement process was carried out on August 4 and 5 and all temporary structures as well as other allied infrastructure created by both sides have been dismantled and mutually verified subsequentlyThe disengagement process at Patrolling Point17A or Gogra was carried out in line with the outcome of the 12th round of military talks that took place on July 31 at ChushulMoldo meeting point in eastern Ladakh the Army saidAs an outcome of the meeting both sides agreed on disengagement in the area of Gogra The troops in this area have been in a faceoff situation since May last year the Army said in a statementAs per the agreement both sides have ceased forward deployments in this area in a phased coordinated and verified manner The disengagement process was carried out over two days August 4 and 5 it saidThe Army said the troops of both sides are now in their respective permanent basesBoth sides had carried out partial disengagement in Gogra as well as Hotsprings However the process was not completed following fresh skirmishes along the South bank of Pangong Tso areasAll temporary structures and other allied infrastructure created in the area by both sides have been dismantled and mutually verified The landform in the area has been restored by both sides to the prestandoff period the Army saidThe disengagement process at Patrolling Point17A PP 17A took place around five months after the two sides carried out a similar exercise on the North and South bank areas of Pangong lake when they withdrew troops and weapons from the friction pointsThis agreement ensures that the Line of Actual Control LAC in this area will be strictly observed and respected by both sides and that there is no unilateral change in status quo the Army saidWith this one more sensitive area of faceoff has been resolved Both sides have expressed commitment to take the talks forward and resolve the remaining issues along the LAC in the Western Sector it saidThe eastern Ladakh is referred to as Western Sector by the governmentThe Indian Army along with ITBP is totally committed to ensure the sovereignty of the nation and maintain peace and tranquillity along the LAC in the Western Sector the Army saidWith the completion of the disengagement in PP 17A the focus now shifts to Gogra as well as Depsang and DemchokSources said both sides have created a buffer zone in PP17 A where no patrolling will be carried out by both sidesIn the 12th round of military talks the two sides agreed to resolve the pending issues at the remaining friction points in an expeditious mannerA joint statement released after the talks said the two sides had a candid and indepth exchange of views relating to the disengagement and that the meeting further enhanced mutual understandingIndia has been insisting that the resolution of the outstanding issues including at Depsang Hot Springs and Gogra is essential for the overall ties between the two countriesThe 12th round of military talks took place over two weeks after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar firmly conveyed to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that the prolongation of the existing situation in eastern Ladakh was visibly impacting the bilateral ties in a negative mannerThe two foreign ministers had held a onehour bilateral meeting on the sidelines of a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation SCO in Tajik capital city Dushanbe on July 14In the meeting Jaishankar told Wang that any unilateral change in the status quo along the LAC was not acceptable to India and that the overall ties can only develop after full restoration of peace and tranquillity in eastern LadakhThe border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries erupted on May 5 last year following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas and both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponryThis 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