Leh/New Delhi : After a fresh face-off, the armies of India and China had two meetings at two places in Ladakh on Tuesday during which the two countries agreed to maintain peace and tranquility along the 465-km long Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Ladakh sector.
The meetings were convened to discuss last week’s face-off in Burtse area which ended in the wee hours of Sunday. The meetings of senior officers of Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the Indian Army took place in Chushul, located 202 km southeast of Leh and Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO), 250 km northeast of Leh. Chushul, which is located near the breathtaking Pangong lake, is one of the five officially agreed BPM points between India and China where army officers from both sides can meet and sort out differences along the border.
The other four BPMs are in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. BPM point on the LAC near DBO was operationalised last month.
During the meetings, the Chinese side was asked about the alleged violation by building of hut 1.5 km deep inside the perceived Indian territory in Burtse, the sources said, adding “both sides agreed to adhere to no defence construction along the LAC”.
ITBP and Army jawans had demolished a hut that was built 1.5 km inside the LAC on Friday in Burtse, 210 km northeast of Leh, leading to a face-off between the two sides.
The hut, with a solar panel on top, had a camera which recorded the movement of Indian troops, the sources said, while giving details about the Chinese incursion bid.
The construction was done by the PLA apparently to claim that the area belongs to them. This area is adjacent to Depsang plains where PLA had pitched camps in April, 2013 that had led to a three-week long stalemate.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei had claimed in Beijing on Monday that no face-off had taken place in the border area and said “the Chinese border troops have been performing their duties on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).”
He was responding to a question on a new stand-off at Ladakh where Indian troops removed a hut built by the PLA troops that had a camera and other facilities.
This is a consistent position maintained by China since the first Depsang stand-off broke out during the visit of Premier Li Keqiang in 2013 to India, asserting that the PLA troops are carrying out activities in their side of the border.
China has been trying to make inroads in Burtse area as it will give access to the PLA to monitor the activities of Indian troops based in Old Patol base besides trying to deny an advantage to India to overlook the Karakoram highway linking the territory illegally occupied by China with Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir(PoK).
Besides, India has an Advanced Ground Landing (AGL) facility in DBO which was activated in August 2013 and the Indian Air Force(IAF) had managed to land a C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft at the air strip located at 16,614 feet above sea level. The initial existence of a hut was seen first on a satellite imagery after which a joint patrol of ITBP and army was sent to the area to have a report from ground zero. Later, it was decided to demolish the hut which prompted the PLA to reach the area resulting in a face-off. – PTI
