The disengagement of Indian and Chinese troops has begun at two friction points—Demchok and Depsang Plains—in the Eastern Ladakh sector. According to defence officials, adhering to agreements between both the sides, the Indian troops have started to pull back equipment to rear locations in these areas.
The significant development has come days after both India and China reached a border pact ending a four-year stalemate. The relations between the two countries soured after the deadly clashes between soldiers in June 2020, that left at least 20 Indian and an unknown number of Chinese dead.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said an agreement was reached to allow border patrolling operations in both countries. That means the “disengagement process with China you can say is completed,” and the border situation returns to what it was in 2020, he said.
