India and China on Monday held the seventh round of high-level military talks with a sole agenda of finalising a roadmap for disengagement of troops from all the friction points in eastern Ladakh.
At the Corps commander level talks, the Indian delegation was led by Lt Gen Harinder Singh, the commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps, and included Naveen Srivastava, Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the Ministry of External Affairs(MEA).
The China Study Group (CSG) comprising Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and three service chiefs on Friday finalised India’s strategy for the military talks.
The CSG is India’s key policy making body on China. During the sixth round of Corps commander talks on September 21, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army(PLA) insisted on withdrawal of troops by the Indian Army from several strategic heights in Mukhpari, Rezang La and Magar hill areas around the southern bank of Pangong lake.
Indian troops had occupied the strategic heights after the PLA soldiers attempted to intimidate them in the southern bank of Pangong lake on the intervening night of 29 and 30 August. India has been maintaining that the disengagement process has to start simultaneously at all the friction points. While talks are good, an early resolution is the need of the hour. Discussions should not remain as words and there should be some solid action to maintain peace in border areas.