Following the agreement between External affairs minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on September 10 to defuse tension at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at the earliest, the next round of military level talks will see India urging simultaneous disengagement and de-escalation. The Corps Commander-level talks between the two armies are likely to take place in the next two to three days.
The Indian stance during the forthcoming military level talks was discussed at great length for more than 90 minutes in the China Study Group(CSG)meeting chaired by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval here on Friday, sources said. The top defence brass including Chief of Defence Staff(CDS)General Bipin Rawat took part in the crucial meeting, they added.
The two commanders Lt General Harinder Singh and Major General Liu Lin have held five rounds of parleys so far since June 6 but no significant improvement took place on the ground. The last round was held on August 2 when it was agreed to disengage and de-escalate.
However, China did not honour the commitment and in fact tried to unilaterally alter the LAC in south bank of the Pangong Tso(lake)on August 29 and 30. The aggressive action was thwarted by the Indian army.
Moreover, both the sides in the last fortnight fired more than 200 rounds in the air on at least four occasions thereby increasing tension at the already volatile border.
