India and China Complete Troop Withdrawal at LAC's Disputed Sites in Eastern Ladakh; Diwali Sweets to Be Exchanged Between Soldiers

The ongoing dispute between the Indian and Chinese armies at two deadlocked places on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) - Demchok and Depsang - is now over. Both armies have once again come back to the 2020 position from the LAC, the withdrawal of troops has been completed after an important agreement on Wednesday and patrolling will be started soon in these places. Indian Army sources said that following the announced timeline, India and China have completed the withdrawal of troops in two disputed areas of eastern Ladakh. He said that sweets would also be exchanged with the soldiers of the Chinese side on the occasion of Diwali.

According to the PTI report, Chinese Ambassador to India Shu Feihong said during an event in Kolkata on the question related to the withdrawal of troops, 'I hope that under this consensus, relations will move forward smoothly in the future and will not be restricted or hindered by specific disagreements between the two sides. The most important thing is how to deal with the differences. The consensus reached between the two countries on patrolling and withdrawal of troops on the LAC in eastern Ladakh is being seen as a breakthrough towards ending the deadlock that has been going on for more than four years.

After the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020, the deadlock on the LAC in eastern Ladakh continued and India-China relations reached a low level. Army sources said that after the withdrawal of troops, the verification work is in progress and the modalities of patrolling will be decided through talks between local commanders. He said, 'Talks will continue at the local commander level.' Sources had said on October 25 that the process of withdrawal of troops is likely to be completed by October 28-29.

When asked about the plan to exchange sweets between the two sides on Diwali, a source said it was a 'big victory' both in military and diplomatic terms. However, it is not yet known where the sweets will be exchanged. Indian and Chinese troops have traditionally exchanged sweets and greetings at several border posts on the LAC, including in eastern Ladakh, on festivals and other important occasions in the past. Sources had earlier said that the deployment of troops and patrolling is likely to be done as per the situation before April 2020.