Within days since the announcement of a new patrolling arrangement with China, newly emerged satellite images provided by US-based Maxar Technologies confirmed initial disengagement activities in Depsang and Demchok of Eastern Ladakh.
In a major breakthrough in culminating the military standoff, India on Monday announced an agreement with China on patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
Recently on the sidelines of BRICS Summit 2024 that took place in Russia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Th meeting marked their first bilateral meeting since 2019.
About the latest satellite images
What gave hope of a culmination of the major standoff between India and China was a visible reduction in structures at multiple locations. Images from Friday also highlighted dismantling of structures and shelters over recent days.
Removal of a large shelter that has been visible since the standoff days in the Depsang area near Patrol Point 10 came as the biggest confirmation of the initial disengagement.
A view from a different location in Depsang also revealed that most structures at a military outpost were removed. A comparison with an earlier image of the same location confirmed the removal.
The Sino-India conflict in 2020
Back in May 2020, the massive Sino-India border standoff initiated which eventually escalated to a violent clash in Galwan Valley in June leading to several casualties on both sides.
In a bid to resolve the political dispute involving the two neighbouring nations, several rounds of military dialogues have taken place concerning troop repositioning, and partial withdrawals.
Since the onset of the standoff, the Indian forces have been restricted near the ‘Y Junction’ in Depsang, preventing access to patrolling points (PPs) 10 to 13, marking the Line of Actual Control (LAC) claimed by India.
For the logest time, Eastern Ladakh's Depsang and Demchok continued to be unresolved areas. According to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Indian and Chinese soldiers will now be able to resume patrolling like earlier.
On a similar note, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri added that the patrolling and grazing activities would restore the pre-2020 status, with previously established disengagement agreements left unchanged.
