Shake hands, distributed sweets… Amidst the tension that has been going on for 4 and a half years, this picture from LAC is comforting.

New Delhi: On the occasion of Diwali, heart-warming news came from the India-China border. The ice of tension that has been going on since 2020 has started melting from yesterday. Patrolling across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) resumed at the traditional points of Depsang and Demchok in eastern Ladakh. Defense sources said Indian troops have resumed their patrolling. On the auspicious occasion of Diwali, both sides also distributed sweets to each other at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point. However, cultural programs scheduled to be held earlier will remain postponed. A senior defense official said that we are moving towards normalization of relations but we have not achieved it. Everything will happen in time. This time it is just a matter of exchanging sweets and starting patrolling at some points.

How was the solution found?
There are five patrolling points in Depsang and two in Demchok where Indian troops have started patrolling. Following the 2020 standoff, Chinese troops had stopped patrolling by Indian troops and in response, India had blocked their movement. After extensive diplomatic and military efforts, both countries reached an agreement for disengagement and patrolling. The final verification took place on Wednesday (30 October) after a week-long process. A defense official said both sides have agreed to inform each other before patrolling to prevent any confrontation.

This will be coordinated at the local commander level. Additionally, there will be no late evening or night patrolling, a private channel was quoted as saying. Local commanders will continue talks to take further decisions on the design after the initial patrol on 31 October.

The India-China agreement was announced hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Russia for the BRICS summit, where he/she is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with China’s Xi Jinping. Speaking after the confirmation, Modi had told the Chinese leader that we should give priority to ensuring peace and stability on our border and stressed the need for mutual trust, mutual respect.

everything back to normal
Additionally, there will be no late evening or night patrolling, a private channel was quoted as saying. Local commanders will continue talks to take further decisions on the design after the initial patrol on October 31. Earlier this month, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had announced that the agreement has been finalized after ongoing talks over the past several weeks And this will resolve the issues that arose in 2020. Since the announcement of ending the four-year-old military standoff in eastern Ladakh, little has been given except to acknowledge that the disengagement process is going smoothly.

Earlier in the day, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said India and China are continuing talks to resolve conflicts along some areas of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. he/she made these remarks during a program in Tezpur, Assam. Emphasizing that the agreement should be based on equal and mutual security, he/she said the consensus included customary patrolling and grazing rights.