India, China commanders meet on October 12

India and China will hold 7th round of Corps Commanders level talks on October 12 to discuss measures to disengage their armies at the line of actual control (LAC) in the Eastern Ladakh where both countries are engaged in 150 days military stand-off.

The talks are being held when some high peaks at Ladakh have already seen some initial snowfall and winter has started to set in. Both sides are prepared to keep their armies at these high altitude mountains during winters when temperatures dip away below zero degrees and  bone-chilling wind make survival extremely difficult.

This will be last meeting under 14 Corps Commander Lt Gen Harinder Singh who is all set to take charge as Commandant of the Indian Military Academy (IMA) later this month after completing his one year tenure.

Lt Gen PGK Menon who will be the new 14 Corps Commander will also take part in the meeting on October 12. The representative from the ministry of external affairs joint secretary (East Asia) Naveen Srivastava too is expected attend the Corps Commanders meeting.

In the last Corps Commanders meeting both had sides agreed to stop sending more troops to the frontline, refrain from unilaterally changing the situation on the ground, and avoid taking any actions that may complicate the situation.

Since the 6th Corps Commanders meeting some type of uneasy peace has been maintained at LAC in Ladakh which had witnessed a number of firing incidents for the first time in over four decades.

However, there is also a concern that if Chinese troops don’t move out soon or are not pushed out from places where they have transgressed they may permanently change the alignment of the LAC.  

During the last meeting India asked for complete disengagement from all points in Eastern Ladakh where China has transgressed into Indian Territory including Pangong Tso and Gogra Post-Hot Springs. Chinese army has also been preventing Indian patrols in the Depsang sector.  India had made it clear that since it was China which had first transgressed, it will have to make the first move towards disengagement. India wants restoration of status quo ante of April 2020 at Eastern Ladakh.

Chinese army wants India to vacate the strategic heights it occupied on the Kailash range which overlook entry points of the Spanggur gap in the Chushul sector during the pre-emptive action on August 29-31.