India-China disengage at Gogra Hot Springs PP-15

New Delhi, Sep 13: India and China have disengaged from Patrol Point-15 in the Gogra Hot Springs area of Eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The process involved pulling back the troops of both armies, dismantling of temporary infrastructure created and joint verification to assess the full implementation of the disengagement to follow. This disengagement is likely to create a buffer zone of 2 to 4 kilometres.

India and China have been locked in a tense standoff for the past 28 months. While the disengagement at Gogra Hot Springs comes after multiple rounds of talks there are still a couple of friction points that remain. The friction points remain at Depsang and Demchok along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

A joint statement read that the disengagement would begin on September 9 and the process would be completed by September 12.

The decision to disengage was taken during the 16th India-China commander level talks. It was decided to disengage in a coordinated manner which is conducive to peace and harmony, a joint statement released by the Ministry of Defence said.

The 16th round of talks was held between the Corps Commander of India and China at Chushul Moldo Meeting Point on July 17, 2022. Since then, the two sides had maintained regular contact to build on the progress achieved during the talks to resolve the relevant issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of the India-China border.

As a result, both the sides have now agreed on disengagement in the area of the Gogra Hot Springs (PP-15), External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said. He also said that as per the agreement, the disengagement process in the area stared on September 8 at 8.30 am and the same would be completed by September 12. The two sides also agreed to crease forward deployments in this area in a phased, verified and coordinated manner resulting in the return of the troops of both sides to their respective areas, he also told the media.

The Chinese version of the statement read, "On September 8, according to the consensus reached in the 16th round of commander-level talks between China and India, the front-line troops of the Chinese and Indian troops in Ganandaban (or Jianan Daban) began to disengage in a planned manner. This is conducive to maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas."