India-China Tensions Nowhere Close To Getting Over In Ladakh; Both Sides Closely Watch Disputed Territory
IAF's rapid deployment of assets in eastern Ladakh sent a clear signal to China
The Pangong Lake and Hot Spring-Gogra have continued to remain volatile despite numerous rounds of diplomatic-level talks
The disengagement planned between India and China has reached an impasse as troops of both sides continue to remain in close proximity at the disputed area of Ladakh.
At the Pangong lake, China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) did move back from Finger 4 to Finger 5 on the bank, "but still remained on the mountain spurs or the ridgeline", India Today reported.
Additionally, the Indian forces are positioned between Finger 3 and Finger 2 on the bank of Pangong.
"The distance between troops from both sides is 4-5 km on the bank of the river but on the mountain ridges of the lake the troops are separated by less than 1 km," sources said.
Besides, the Chinese army has not even dismantled its structures that they had set up between Finger 8 and Finger 4.
The mountain spurs jutting into the lake are referred to as Fingers in military parlance.
The Hot Springs area (Patrol Point PP17A) has also remained under tension. Around 40-50 soldiers are in close proximity, separated only by 600-800 metres.
In PP14 of the Galwan Valley, China's PLA has moved back 1.5 km from Line of Actual Control (LAC). The distance between troops on each side is approximately 3 km. Galwan is the region where clashes took place between India and China on June 15 in which 20 Indian soldiers got killed. Chinese soldiers were also killed, but China did not reveal the number of casualties.
At PP15, the fourth friction point, the disengagement seemed successful as troops of both sides were separated by 8-10 km.
The Indian Army described the process of disengagement between troops of India and China along LAC as "intricate" that required "constant verification".
Meanwhile, the Indian Navy's Poseidon 8I anti-submarine warfare aircraft have been deployed in eastern Ladakh to carry out surveillance along LAC. Also, some of its MiG-29K jets are likely to be stationed in key Indian Air Force (IAF) bases in the northern sector amid the border row.
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