DEFUSING TENSION ALONG LAC: INDIA, CHINA HOLD 2 FLAG MEETS

The flag meetings were conducted at scheduled meeting points at Daulat Beg Oldie in northern Ladakh and Spanngur Gap (Chusul) in eastern Ladakh

General Officer Commanding (GoC) of the Karu-based 3 infantry Division Maj General YK Joshi was himself present at the flag meeting at DBO

The of last Saturday’s face-off at Burtse was discussed at the meeting

Top commanders of the Indian and Chinese armies conducted two flag meetings at separate locations in Ladakh today. The exercise aimed at defusing tension along the disputed Line of Actual Control (LAC), besides working out a system at the local level to avoid issues that could lead to flare-ups in future.

Suggestions included minor modifications in methods of patrolling along the LAC that forms de facto border between the two countries.

The flag meetings were conducted at scheduled meeting points at Daulat Beg Oldie in northern Ladakh and Spanngur Gap (Chusul) in eastern Ladakh. The distance between the two points is around 450 km. Top sources told The Tribune that the seriousness of India’s protest could be gauged from the fact that the General Officer Commanding (GoC) of the Karu-based 3 infantry Division Maj General YK Joshi was himself present at the flag meeting at DBO where the matter of last Saturday’s face-off at Burtse was discussed. The Indian side wants no construction in disputed areas. Maj Gen Joshi has served as the Indian Defence Attaché in Beijing.

At Chusul, the 70 Brigade Commander was present at the flag meeting. The flag meetings were scheduled after India protested the setting up of a watchtower by the Chinese troops at Burtse overlooking the Depsang plains. India claimed the watchtower that stood bang on the “border patrolling line” had solar panels and a camera.

The “border patrolling line” is a way to address areas where even the alignment of un-demarcated LAC is disputed. The LAC alignment is roughly accepted by both sides in Lakakh, but some pockets remain where the “border patrolling line” is the accepted principle. This is an informal un-demarcated line and troops on either side patrol the areas that they perceive as their own. The border patrolling line is the farthest point to which military patrols come from the Chinese side.

China has been attempting to gain an edge in the area as Indian supply and patrol routes to the DBO and the Karakoram Pass run close by. The advanced landing ground—a mud-paved airstrip—at DBO allows landing of transport planes such as C-17 and C-130J. These can rapidly carry men, tanks, and equipment. The landing ground is south of the Karakoram Pass.

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