Rapid disengagement at LAC as Chinese dismantle tents, move back armoured vehicles

New Delhi, Feb 16: The Chinese PLA is in the process of a second round of disengagement at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh.

The date of the next meeting of the military commanders is yet to be fixed. However the disengagement as decided in the last meeting is taking place as per plan. The disengagement at the north and south banks of Pangong Lake is expected to be completed by Friday, official familiar with the developments tell OneIndia.

On Tuesday, the Indian Army released video clips and photographs of the Chinese troops withdrawing from Pangong Tso area. The visuals released were from the Pangong Tso and Kailash Range area on the lake's south bank.

The clips showed the Chinese troops dismantling tents on a hillside as well down a mountain slope.

There is rapid movement of Chinese heavy vehicles beyond Finger 8, satellite images have shown.
While armoured elements like battle tanks and armoured personnel carriers are being withdrawn from friction points in the south bank of Pangong Tso, troops are being pulled back from the north bank areas, sources said.

The sources said withdrawal of armoured elements from the south bank of Pangong Tso is almost complete and temporary structures erected by both sides will be demolished in the next few days.

"The disengagement process will take time as both sides are together carrying out verification of the withdrawal of troops and military hardware," said a source.

The disengagement of troops and armoured elements is limited to the friction points where the two sides were on an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation, sources said.

After a nine-month standoff, the two militaries reached the agreement on disengagement in the north and south banks of Pangong lake that mandates both sides to cease forward deployment of troops in a "phased, coordinated and verifiable" manner.