In the ongoing process to defuse tension at the Line of Actual Control(LAC) in Eastern Ladakh,  Brigadier and Colonel level officers of India and China on Monday held talks at the LAC.  The focus of the talks was to resolve the ongoing stand-off in the Galwan area.  The two sides also reviewed the pace of mutual disengagement from other face-off sites,

Giving details of the latest round of talks, sources said here the parleys took place in the Galwan area and centred on de-escalation at Patrolling Points (PP) 14 and 17A.  They said ground level military talks have been going on regularly to resolve the standoffs and it is an incremental process, sources stated.

With both the countries having announced their willingness to address the confrontations through diplomatic and military talks, at least five rounds of talks took place in the last few days.  They included Major General level talks, of which two rounds were held last week after the Corps Commander level talks on June 6. There have also been a series of talks at the Brigadier and Colonel level. Officials also said the limited “disengagement” agreed between both sides earlier is work in progress and is underway.

Army Chief General M M Naravane had said last Saturday that troops of India and China are “disengaging” in a phased manner from the standoff areas along the border following the series of ground talks and lot of disengagement has happened in the Galwan river area.

After the month-long standoff at several locations on the border, at the Corps Commanders level talks between Lt General Harinder Singh and Major General Liu Lin last week, both sides mutually agreed on five locations of conflict, Patrolling Point (PP) 14, 15, 17A, North bank of Pangong Tso and Chushul. 

They also agreed on partial disengagement from some of these places.

Officials said at Galwan area limited “disengagement” had commenced earlier and such limited de-escalation at PP 15, 17A and Gogra areas was agreed at the Corps Commander level.

It was also learnt that in all areas except the Finger 4 area of Pangong Tso are seeing some disengagement and can be resolved at the local level. Pangong Tso remains a major area of concern where the Chinese troops have moved up to Finger 4 area and dug in in Indian territory. The next round of Corps Commander level talks have not been decided yet where this issue will come up, they said.