Ease on friction points
-- Chinese troops move back from Finger 4 to Finger 5 areas of Pangong lake.
-- PLA soldiers go back 2km in Galwan Valley, Hot Springs, Patrolling Point-15, said sources.
-- Indian side also moved back as per mutual disengagement.
-- Vacant spaces to be treated as temporary non-patrolling zones by both sides.
-- Second round of disengagement will focus on moving back to permanent locations.
New Delhi: India has once again rejected China's claim over Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh even as both sides are expected to hold another round of diplomatic talks on the border row on Friday to thrash out modalities for further de-escalation of tension along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said India remained convinced of the need for maintenance of peace and tranquillity in border areas and resolution of differences through dialogue, but at the same time asserted that the country is committed to ensuring its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
India's assertion came on a day when Chinese troops completed withdrawal from Gogra and Hot Springs.
At an online media briefing, he said the Line of Actual Control (LAC) must be strictly respected and observed as it is the basis for peace and tranquillity in border areas.
Srivastava said National Security Advisor Ajit Doval categorically conveyed to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday India's position on the recent developments along the LAC including in the Galwan valley area.
Doval and Wang, the special representatives for border talks, held a telephonic conversation following which armies of the two countries began disengagement of troops from friction points in eastern Ladakh.
People familiar with the development said the two sides will hold another online meeting on Friday on the border row.
In the briefing, the MEA spokesperson reiterated that the recent Chinese claims to the Galwan Valley area are "exaggerated and untenable" and that the LAC must be strictly respected and observed as it the basis for peace and tranquillity in the border areas.
"We remain convinced of the need for maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas and the resolution of differences through dialogue, at the same time, we are also strongly committed to ensuring India's sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said.
Galwan Valley was the site of a violent clash between Indian and Chinese armies on June 15 in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed. The Chinese side also suffered casualties but it is yet to give out the details. According to an American intelligence report, the number of casualties on the Chinese side was 35.
China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Thursday completed moving back its troops from the face-off sites in Gogra and Hot Springs in eastern Ladakh in line with the understanding reached with the Indian Army. They have already pulled back troops from the friction points in Galwan Valley. —PTI
