Indian Air Force jet during a sortie In Ladakh recently

A report said that the talks remain deadlocked on two points: the modalities of disengagement and steps involved in the pullback

New Delhi: Indian and Chinese troops are most likely to spend the harsh winter in eastern Ladakh while locked in a confrontation, it now appears. A report said on Friday that the two sides, which have been holding military as well as diplomatic talks to end the months-long standoff along the Line of Actual Control, have yet to reach an understanding on how to go about disengagement.

Disengagement of troops has been proposed by the two sides but the two armies or governments have yet to finalise the modalities of the same. This has nearly confirmed the possibility of Indian as well as Chinese troops spending the winter on forbidden heights of eastern Ladakh where temperatures have already plummeted to 20 degrees below the freezing point.

The Times of India reported that no meaningful progress has been made since the eighth round of Corps Commander-level talks on November 6, held along the LAC at Chushul.

The report quoted a source as saying that the talks remain deadlocked on two points: the modalities of disengagement and steps involved in the pullback.

It has been learned that China wants disengagement to start from the southern bank of Pangong Tso where the Indian Army is in an advantageous position. India, on the other hand, wants the pullback to start from Pangong lake's northern bank where China's People's Liberation Army has advanced significantly from its pre-standoff position of Finger 8.

It may be recalled that during the talks earlier this month, the two sides had reached a broad understanding on disengagement - pulling back soldiers locked in virtually eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation at some places, tanks and other armoured vehicles.

As of now, both sides continue to deploy nearly 50,000 troops each at friction points.