Ladakh standoff: Indian Army in Chushul for talks with China in a few days

Amid efforts to resolve the ongoing dispute in Eastern Ladakh, members of the Indian military team are in Chushul preparing for talks with China which are likely to be held in the next few days.

"Members of the military team are in Chushul and preparing for talks expected to be held in the next few days," sources told ANI.

The team has been provided with directions and instructions from the Army headquarters and government officials to help in the resolution of the matter which has entered its second month now.

Talks between the two sides were held on June 6 at the military commanders' level, including the 14 Corps Commander Lt Gen Harinder Singh from the Indian side while the Chinese side was represented by its South Xinjiang Military District commander Major General Liu Lin at Moldo opposite Chushul in Ladakh.

Even though the talks had not yielded any immediate results on the ground as both sides continue to be in a standoff position opposite each other, they had agreed to continue talks at both diplomatic and military levels to find a solution to the problem.

 

On Monday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had stated that "Talks with China are on at military and diplomatic level. The June 6 talks were very positive and both the countries have agreed to continue talks to resolve the ongoing tussle" while assuring the country that "leadership of the country is in strong hands and we will not compromise on India's pride and self-respect."

The issue started early last month when the Chinese started building up militarily along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh and started deploying troops at multiple locations along the LAC including Finger area, Pangong Tso Lake, and the Galwan valley.

The Chinese also wanted to carry out deeper incursions into the Indian territory but they were checked because of the timely deployment of troops at the right locations by the Indian side. After the Chinese side built up at a rapid pace on the Indian front, the Indian side also rushed in troops from other locations to more than match it.

The Chinese troops have been engaged in multiple face-offs with the Indian security forces in the disputed areas and injuries have been caused to soldiers from both the countries.