India-China to address disengagement of Gogra-Hot Springs

While the agreed-upon dates for the 12th round of India-China senior commanders dialogue will be set by military channels, the discussion will be restricted to disengagement and de-escalation of both armies from general areas Gogra and Hot Springs, with Depsang Bulge being dealt with by local commanders as a 2013 legacy issue.

As per South Block officials, the agreement to address Hot Springs (patrolling point 14) and Gogra (patrolling point 17A) was made at the virtual meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs on 25th June.

Apart from the north banks of the Pangong Tso, the PLA transgressed the two friction sites at the Kugrang and Chang Chemmo rivers on May 17-18, 2020.

The 2013 friction point of Depsang Bulge, south of Daulet Beg Oldi, would be handled by local commanders rather than senior military leaders. In April 2013, the PLA entered the Raki and Jeevan nullahs with the intent of preventing the Indian Army from patrolling points 10 to 13 A within the bulge region.

Though disengagement from the north and south banks of the Pangong Tso has occurred, de-escalation between the two armies is still ongoing due to mutual mistrust and suspicion following the PLA 2020 violations.

Both the Indian Army and the PLA Army have three divisions of troops with support units deployed along the 1597-kilometre Line of Actual Control (LAC) in East Ladakh, as well as artillery, armour, and rocket elements. The Indian Army forces of the 14 Corps, led by Lt General P G K Menon, are on constant alert and executing patrols within the boundaries set by the Cabinet Secretary in 1976. Since the August 29-31, 2020 incident on the south banks of Pangong Tso, there has been no addition of troops from the Indian side.

While the Army monitors Chinese operations along the LAC, the Indian Navy keeps a careful eye on PLA warships from the Gulf of Aden to the Malacca Straits, including the southern Indian Ocean. Aside from occasional scientific activities in the deep south Indian Ocean, which is being monitored, Chinese ships are restricted to the Gulf of Aden or the Makran Coast off Pakistan.