New Delhi: The Indian Army successfully carried out a patrol in the Depsang area of eastern Ladakh on Monday, following the recent disengagement between Indian and Chinese forces in the Depsang and Demchok sectors. This patrol came after the start of patrolling in Demchok last Friday, just a day post-disengagement.
In a statement posted on X, the Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps noted, “In line with the consensus reached between India and China for disengagement and the resumption of patrolling at Depsang and Demchok, today saw the successful completion of an Indian Army patrol in Depsang. This is another step towards peace and stability on the LAC.” The specific patrolling point wasn’t immediately disclosed.
The Indian Army began verification patrols in Depsang, a key friction zone, after the disengagement, according to a government statement on Saturday. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, addressing a weekly briefing, stated that verification patrolling in Demchok and Depsang had commenced under mutually agreed terms.
Additionally, last week, Indian and Chinese soldiers exchanged sweets along multiple border points on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in celebration of Diwali.
The current status of patrol areas is expected to revert to pre-April 2020 levels, sources indicated. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, in Delhi on October 21, confirmed that a disengagement agreement between the two nations was achieved following extensive negotiations, aiming to resolve issues that emerged in 2020.
The agreement represents a milestone in de-escalating tensions along the eastern Ladakh LAC, an area of heightened alert since the 2020 Galwan Valley clash, the most severe confrontation between India and China in decades, which had considerably strained bilateral ties.
