Indian, Chinese Soldiers to Exchange Sweets on Diwali

New Delhi: Soldiers of the Indian Army and China’s People’s Liberation Army will exchange sweets on Thursday on the occasion of Diwali along the Line of Actual Control as both sides completed their disengagement at the last two flashpoints of Depsang Plains and Demchok in the Ladakh sector.

This ends the direct face-off between the Indian and Chinese armies in Ladakh over the past four and a half years.

“The disengagement process has been completed in Depsang and Demchok flashpoints in the Ladakh sector and patrolling will commence soon,” said Army sources. The verification of the disengagement is in progress and talks are continuing at the local commanders level. “The patrolling modalities will be decided between the ground commanders (brigadier and below),” the sources said.

The patrolling at Demchok and Depsang will be coordinated between the Indian Army and the PLA to avoid any face-offs. The patrols will be in a batch of upto 20 soldiers who will also be carrying weapons with them.

Sweets will be distributed at all border personnel meeting points between India and China on the occasion of Diwali.

The two sides started the process of dismantling the semi-permanent structures and tents and moving back troops in the two areas from last Wednesday. Demchok and Depsang Plains were the last two remaining flashpoints in Ladakh on which an agreement was reached between the two countries last week. Chinese troops were blocking Indian soldiers from patrolling till their traditional points upto India's perceived line in these two friction points since April-May 2020.

There is no change in the buffer zones, which were created in Pangong Tso, Galwan and Gogra-Hot Springs in Ladakh under the earlier agreements reached to end the stand-off at these places. Patrolling is not allowed in the buffer zones in these areas by either Indian or Chinese soldiers. However, sources said that talks are going on about the buffer zones and other areas, including in Arunachal Pradesh. In Arunachal, China wants to patrol the Yangtse area of Tawang, which is dominated by Indian troops. In December 2022, Indian and Chinese troops had clashed in the Yangtse area. The post in this area is at 17,000 feet and overlooks the Chinese position, giving the Indian side an advantage. The area had seen a two-and-a-half month face-off between Indian and Chinese during the Kargil war. The Chinese have been raising the issue to remove the post from many years now during the flag officers’ meetings.