India and China are working out modalities to finalise a plan for phased disengagement and de-escalation along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, beginning with the North Bank of Pangong Tso, according to multiple sources.
The proposal from the Chinese side put forward at the eighth round of Corps Commander talks on November 6 includes pulling back their troops and equipment from Finger 4 to Finger 8 on the North Bank, two sources confirmed.
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This is still a proposal under discussion and will be taken up at the next round of Corps Commander talks soon. Once agreed upon, it will be done in multiple phases, with on-ground verification after each step, one official source said.
There is no change in the ground situation as of now.
Verification on the ground at each step, in addition to aerial monitoring using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, will be key to ensuring the Chinese fully honour the understanding on the ground, another source said.
After the North Bank, disengagement on the South Bank of Pangong Tso is expected to be taken up, where the two sides have deployed tanks and armoured vehicles in close proximity after tensions went up in August-end. Tanks and armoured vehicles were expected to be moved back some distance, the first source said.
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The two sides have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks since the beginning of the standoff in early May, which hit a stalemate after some initial disengagement.
As part of the first phase of disengagement, both sides had pulled back troops by an equal distance from Patrolling Points 14 in Galwan valley and 15 in Gogra-Hot Springs. It was during the disengagement in Galwan that violent clashes had occurred, resulting in the deaths of 20 Indian personnel and an unknown number of Chinese casualties.
