Indian, Chinese Soldiers Exchange Diwali Sweets Along LAC Day After Disengagement Completion

The disengagement process began on October 21 and came to its conclusion on October 29 (Tuesday). However, the process of verification was underway on both sides.

Indian and Chinese troops exchanged sweets at border points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de-facto border between India and China, on the occasion of Diwali on Thursday, Indian Army sources said. The exchange took place at five Border Personnel Meeting (BPM) points a day after the Indian Army and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) disengaged their troops at the Depsang plains and Demchok area in the Eastern Ladakh sector of the LAC.

The disengagement was carried out in line with a patrolling arrangement finalised by both sides in the small hours of October 21, just days before a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The disengagement process began on October 21 and came to its conclusion on October 29 (Tuesday). However, the process of verification was underway on both sides and both the troops were checking whether they had gone back to the positions as per the agreement at the LAC, sources in the Indian Army said on Wednesday.

The sources further said that the two sides were yet to commence patrolling and talks on the subject were going on between the local commanders.

During the recent formal talks between PM Modi and President Xi, which took place after a gap of five years, India said “mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual sensitivity” should be the pillar of the bilateral relationship between both countries.

Both leaders also vowed regular meetings at the level of foreign ministers, defence ministers as well as special representatives on the boundary question.

Ashok Kantha, former Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, and former Ambassador of India to China, told ABP Live in an interview that "de-escalation and de-induction are not easy processes". "They are not easy because there is lack of trust and we have a serious disadvantage when it comes to de-induction of troops because of the nature of terrain and border infrastructure where the Chinese have an advantage over us," he said.