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China-India face-off ends as armies withdraw from Ladakh
Chinese and Indian armies have withdrawn simultaneously from face-off point at Daulat Beg Oldi sector in Ladakh, official sources said on Sunday evening.According to reports, the agreement between the two sides was reached following a high-level meeting. Both countries decided to end the deadlock at 7.30pm, PTI quoted official sources, as saying. Earlier reports said that Chinese troops have refused to budge from the Indian territory occupied by them. Chinese troops reportedly asked the Indian forces to pull back first in the Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) sector of Ladakh. Senior military personnel of the two countries led by Brigadier-level officers held a fouth flag meeting at Chushul on Saturday but their discussions lasting 45-minute ended without any positive outcome with the Chinese refusing to restore status-quo ante as it obtained on April 15 before they intruded 19 kms deep on the Indian side of Line of Actual Control (LAC) pitching five tents and bringing in some 50 soldiers besides military vehicles and dogs. Official sources said that the Chinese side asked the Indian troops, which have also established tented posts about 300 metres from the Chinese, to pull back first before they could think of going back. The Indians said that any pull back had to be simultaneous and that the Chinese should vacate their intrusion. The sources said that in view of this impasse there was no breakthrough in the meeting but the two sides decided to continue the dialogue. The Chinese side also reiterated their earlier stand that India should dismantle bunkers constructed along the LAC in Phuktsay and Chumar areas to which the Indian side contended that similar activities were being carried out on the Chinese side. Chinese officials maintained that the activities on their side was more of a developmental work and that India should stop pushing its grazers in Chumar division, south east of Ladakh. On April 15, Chinese troops had intruded nearly 27 kms deep into the Indian territory but an early detection and aggressive patrolling by the security personnel posted in the sector managed to pull them back to the present position near the old patrol base in the DBO sector, which is still 19 kms from the LAC. Posted by: john frum 2013-05-05 |
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