India-China cross verify the disengagement at Gogra-Hot Springs (Patrolling Point-15) in Eastern Ladakh

Is the disengagement of India-China along PP-15 leading to a loss of territory for India? A ‘before’ and ‘after’ map would help clear the air

Team PGurus

September 14, 2022

Is the disengagement of India-China along PP-15 leading to a loss of territory for India? A ‘before’ and ‘after’ map would help clear the air

Salami tactics alleged; every incursion of China is leading to some loss of land on the Indian side

A day after disengaging from the stand-off site at Gogra-Hot Springs (Patrolling Point-15) in Eastern Ladakh, India and China on Tuesday conducted physical verification of each other’s positions as the two sides returned to their bases as existed in 2020. However, China still holds India’s two main areas – Depsang Valley and Demchok. These two points are infiltrated by China a few years ago. Military experts say China infiltrated these two Indian areas somewhere in 2013.

While the pull-back or disengagement from the Patrolling Point-15 was over on Monday, the two sides were keen to verify the process physically and it was done on Tuesday, sources said here. “Both sides have completed disengagement at PP15 in a phased, coordinated, and verified manner,” they added.

The withdrawal started on September 8 (Thursday last week) and it was agreed upon to complete the process by September 12. Besides the troops returning to their bases, the two armies also dismantled temporary structures and other infrastructure which came up after the face-off started in 2020.

The two armies will now observe a buffer zone stretching from two to five km on either side of the LAC as a confidence-building measure to avoid confrontation. It means the troops from both sides will not patrol in the buffer zone.

The latest disengagement from the friction points was the fourth one. The first withdrawal took place at the Pangong Tso(lake) in February 2021. Incidentally, the face-off at the lake was the first one in 2020 triggering tension all along the LAC in Ladakh. The second disengagement became effective at Patrolling Point-17 in the Gogra-Hot Springs area in August last year besides the withdrawal of troops from the Galwan valley. A buffer zone stretching from three to ten km is in place at all these places.

It has been agreed that all temporary structures and other allied infrastructure created in the area by both sides will be dismantled and mutually verified. The landforms in the area will be restored to the pre-stand-off period by both sides. The agreement ensures that the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in this area will be strictly observed and respected by both sides and that there will be no unilateral change in the status quo.

At present, more than 50,000 troops from both countries are deployed at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh. Meanwhile, on the North-Eastern side, especially on the Arunachal Pradesh side, for the past two years, the Chinese Military is fortifying its infrastructure with long roads and 1000s of new buildings and housing complexes.

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