India-China begin disengagement along Pangong Lake

New Delhi, Feb 10: India and China have begun "synchronised and organised disengagement" from the north and south banks of Pangong Lake, a Chinese defence ministry spokesperson, Senior Colonel Wu Qian said on Wednesday.

Indian and Chinese troops aimed at clearing the 'Finger 4' area on the northern bank of Pangong Lake started according to the consensus reached between the two sides during the ninth round of military commander-level talks.

"The Chinese and Indian frontline troops at the southern and northern bank of the Pangong Tso Lake start synchronised and organised disengagement from February 10," Senior Colonel Wu Qian, China's defence spokesperson, said in a written statement.

However, there was no official word from New Delhi.

According to an NDTV report, the government is not denying the reports from the Chinese defence ministry.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will make a statement in the Rajya Sabha tomorrow on the "present situation in eastern Ladakh".

The Pangong Lake has been the focus of the tussle between India and China amid the border standoff in eastern Ladakh over the last nine months.

The talks - the ninth round lasted for over 15 hours - have been aimed at defusing tension along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, and finding a solution to the nine-month stand-off.

India-China tensions spiked in May last year after skirmishes in the Pangong Lake region, and worsened after the June 14 clash in Galwan Valley, in which 20 Indian soldiers died for the country.