Rajnath confirms India, China pulling back troops at Pangong Lake in Ladakh

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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh informed Parliament on Thursday that the sustained talks with China have led to an agreement on disengagement of troops on the north and south banks of Pangong Lake in Ladakh by both sides.</p>
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China will keep its troops to the east of Finger 8 at the north bank of Pangong Lake while India will keep its troops at its permanent base at Dhan Singh Thapa Post near Finger 3, the defence minister said in the Rajya Sabha.</p>
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After this agreement, India and China will remove forward deployments in a phased, coordinated manner, he explained.</p>
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Singh said that patrolling in the fingers area of Pangong has been suspended till a further decision is taken by military commanders based on diplomatic talks.</p>
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"Line of Actual Control (LAC) should be accepted by both the sides. We have clarified to China that trying to unilaterally change the status is not acceptable…Not an inch of land will be given," the minister said.</p>
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<strong>LOST NOTHING IN DIALOGUE </strong></p>
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"China occupied 38,000 sq km after 1962 war… 5,180 sq km have been given illegally by Pakistan to China in Ladakh. In Arunachal Pradesh border, China claims 90,000 sq km of Indian land. India has not accepted these unjustified demands. We have maintained that bilateral relations can prosper only if there are efforts from both sides. I am happy to announce that we have lost nothing in the dialogue with China," the defence minister said.   </p>
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He said talks with China were going on since September. "Bilateral relations can be established by both sides…We are committed to maintaining a peaceful situation at the Line of Control. India has always emphasised on maintaining bilateral ties."</p>
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"Many friction areas are built near LAC in Eastern Ladakh. China has collected heavy force and arms and ammunition near LAC and in the nearby area on their side. Our forces also have adequate strength and effectively done counter deployment," Singh said on the standoff with China.</p>
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Our security forces have proved that they are ready to face any challenge to protect the sovereignty of the country, he added.</p>
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The comments came a day after Indian and Chinese troops along the border in Ladakh initiated the process of disengagement.</p>
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Quoting defence ministry spokesperson Colonel Wu Qian, the Chinese media reported that troops of both countries stationed at the northern and southern shores of Pangong Lake in Ladakh began disengagement according to the consensus reached during the talks.</p>