• Source:JND
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Indian and Chinese troops have started the phased disengagement process in the Depsang and Demchok sectors of eastern Ladakh. As part of the agreements between both nations, Indian forces have begun pulling back equipment to rear locations in these areas, marking a significant step toward restoring stability along the border.

The move comes after both countries reached an agreement on ‘patrolling arrangements’ along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The agreement aims to ease tensions that had arisen in these areas in 2020. The pact was signed following a bilateral meeting on Wednesday between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China’s President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS leaders’ summit in Kazan, Russia.

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Earlier in April this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an interview with Newsweek magazine said, “It is my belief that we need to urgently address the prolonged situation on our borders so that the abnormality in our bilateral interactions can be put behind us.”

Addressing a special briefing on PM Modi's Russia visit, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, "This agreement is the outcome of extensive discussions over the past several weeks with Chinese interlocutors at both diplomatic and military levels."

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Misri has highlighted the involvement of military commanders in ongoing negotiations to address the tensions that have persisted since 2020. These discussions aim to create a pathway toward disengagement and potential resolution of the contentious issues that emerged during the major confrontations in 2020.

In an interview to news agency PTI, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in May expressed hope for the resolution of the remaining issues with China. The EAM emphasised that the outstanding issues primarily revolved around “patrolling rights” and “patrolling abilities”. 

The relations between the two countries soured following deadly clashes between soldiers in June 2020, that left at least 20 Indians and an unknown number of Chinese dead.