Indian and Chinese troops have started patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh after a gap of over four years, marking a massive de-escalation in border tensions sparked by a deadly clash between the two sides in 2020.
The soldiers patrolled areas in Depsang and Damchok on Thursday after informing the other side and exchanged sweets to mark Diwali, a day after they completed military disengagement.
Patrolling was stopped in these two areas in eastern Ladakh for about four and a half years after the two sides clashed in the Pangong Lake and Galwan regions in May-June 2020, leading to the death of 20 Indian soldiers.
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The militaries agreed to a patrolling agreement last week, aiming to end the four years of border tensions. The disengagement deal called for the removal of troops and infrastructure from Depsang and Damchok and the withdrawal of troops to pre-April 2020 positions.
The soldiers exchanged sweets yesterday at five locations along the LAC, including Chushul Maldo and Daulat Beg Oldi in Ladakh, on the occasion of Diwali.
Indian Army is now cross-checking if China had, in fact, withdrawn its troops as per the agreement, sources told NDTV on Wednesday. They said the ground-level commanders from each side will inform the other before patrolling "to avoid miscommunication".
Both sides will continue to have surveillance options in Depsang and Demchok.
Read | "Will Try To Go Beyond Disengagement, But...": Rajnath Singh's LAC Update
Depsang is of strategic importance to India as it allows access to the airstrip at Daulat Beg Oldie while also preventing Chinese troops from threatening vital logistics centres in the area. India controls the western part of Demchok, which is claimed by China.
Satellite images of the disengagement process - accessed by NDTV last week - showed four vehicles and two tents in the Depsang plains. Four days later, images showed Indian military tents taken down. On October 25, Chinese structures were seen removed in Demchok.
India wants to go "beyond disengagement" but that would take time, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said yesterday during the National Unity Day celebrations.
De-escalation concerns, however, remain in the Gogra-Hot Springs and other areas in Ladakh.
