Several more round of talks before disengagement along Line of Actual Control

New Delhi, Sep 23: New Delhi is prepared for a long haul along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, even as several more rounds of talks are set to take place with China.

A joint statement following the military commander level talks held on Monday said that both sides have agreed not to send more troops to the Ladakh front-line. There is no way for both sides to verify this on the ground as both sides would not share information collected through spatial intelligence, officials tell OneIndia.

As of now there is no change in the situation on the ground and the People's Liberation Army are still on the finger four mountains on north Pangong Tso Lake. The Indian Army on the other hand continue to dominate the Rezang La Rechin La Ridgeline on the Line of Actual Control.

There has also been no change in the situation in Gogra-Hot Springs sector. This is because the the PLA have linked the withdrawal there to the Pangong Tso disengagement.

A joint statement issued a day after the military commanders of both sides met on Monday however had not reference to the restoration of status quo ante that existed along the Line of Actual Control before the Chinese unilaterally altered it in April.

Sources in New Delhi said that while the talks remained inconclusive on Monday, the military commanders of both sides are expected to meet again in the next few days.

Although the stalemate continues at the Line of Actual Control, both sides during the talks on Monday agreed that India and China need to completely disengage and ensure peace in the border areas.

The problem, sources familiar with the developments said is the deployment of huge weapons platforms by the People's Liberation Army. The PLA has deployed intermediate-ballistic missiles in occupied Aksai Chin. The PLA had resorted to similar tactics in the South China Sea when it test fired DF-26 and DF-21 D missiles to threaten the US Navy aircraft carriers, Ronald Reagan and Nimitz.

The official cited above said that India is not deterred and will counter the PLA in the worst case scenario. The official also said that there would be at least a few more rounds of talks before the disengagement could take place.