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India and China have reached an agreement for disengagement in the Pangong Lake area to cease their forward deployments in a phased, coordinated and verified manner and it will substantially restore the situation to what it was before the stand-off last year, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
Also read: India, China agree to return to pre-April 2020 positions in eastern Ladakh
“The Chinese side will keep its troop presence in the North Bank area to east of Finger 8. Reciprocally, the Indian troops will be based at their permanent base at Dhan Singh Thapa Post near Finger 3. A similar action would be taken in the South Bank area by both sides,” Mr. Singh said in a statement.
“These are mutual and reciprocal steps and any structures that had been built by both sides since April 2020 in both North and South Bank area will be removed and the landforms will be restored,” he said.
Further, both sides had agreed on a temporary moratorium on military activities in the North Bank, including patrolling in the traditional areas.
Also read: Both sides disengaging from Pangong lake area, says China
“Patrolling will be resumed only when both sides reach an agreement in diplomatic and military talks that would be held subsequently,” Mr. Singh added.
The implementation of this agreement started on Wednesday in the North and South Bank of the Pangong Lake.
“I want to assure this House that in these talks we have not conceded anything,” Mr. Singh said, while stating that there were still some outstanding issues with regard to deployment and patrolling at some other points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. These will be the focus of further discussions with the Chinese side.
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