India, China complete troop withdrawal from parts of disputed LoAC

The Indian and Chinese armies have completed their agreed withdrawal of troops from a bitterly contested area along the disputed Line of Actual Control (LoAC) in the Himalayas where they had been locked in a standoff since May 2020.

“The smooth disengagement of frontline troops in the Pangong Lake area was a significant step forward that provided a good basis for the resolution of other remaining issues along the LoAC,” said the Indian government’s Press Information Bureau (PIB) in a 21 February statement.

Indian soldiers near the Zojila mountain pass connecting Srinagar to Ladakh, bordering China, in November 2020. The PIB announced on 21 February that the Indian and Chinese armies have completed their agreed withdrawal along the northern and southern banks of the 4,350 m-high Pangong Tso (Pangong Lake) in the Himalayan Ladakh region. (Tauseef Mustafa/AFP via Getty Images)

The announcement was made a day after Indian Army (IA) and People’s Liberation Army (PLA) commanders held their 10th round of talks over the outstanding border issues. In this context the PIB said that the two sides had a “candid and in-depth exchange of views” and agreed to “push for a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues in a steady and orderly manner in order to jointly maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas”.

Indian security officials told Janes that during the 16-hour-long talks the military commanders also reviewed the phased pullback of equipment – including tanks, infantry combat vehicles, and howitzers – and troops from the north and south banks of the 4,350 m-high Pangong Lake.

Two thirds of the 135 km long lake – a large proportion of which lies in Tibet – is under Chinese control.