External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has said that as the first step in implementing the agreement reached between India and China on 21 October, troop disengagement in northern Ladakh will begin. He said that at first, there will be troop disengagements Depsang and Demchok, the northernmost points of Ladakh.
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Jaishankar said consensus has been achieved on patrolling and disengagement in Depsang and Demchok.
S Jaishankar said that it will restore the status quo to the level of prior to 2020, and will facilitate mutual de-escalation. He said that as a result of the agreement, the restrictions on patrolling in the region has been lifted. As a result, border patrolling by both sides will return to pre-2020 level. This will allow India to strengthen its management of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar addressed a press conference in #Mumbai, confirming that troop disengagement in #Depsang and #Demchok is the first step following the agreement reached on October 21st.
— PB-SHABD (@PBSHABD) October 27, 2024
He stressed that restoring the status quo prior to 2020 will… pic.twitter.com/SV2Ni0y1zI
After the disengagement, the next step is de-escalation. However, India will not begin it without being sure that China has also started it, the EAM clarified. “After de-escalation, how to manage the borders will be discussed,” he said.
As per earlier reports, The Indian Army and the Chinese Army will complete disengagement in Depsang and Demchok by October 28-29, and the patrolling will begin on October 30-31. Notably, this will be limited to only these two places, will not be done in other conflict points along the LAC.
In Depsang and Demchok, troops from both sides will fall back to positions they held pre-April 2020 and they will patrol areas where they patrolled till April 2020, said Indian army.
