Ladakh Standoff: 13 Hours Of Marathon Talks At 7th Round Of Military-Level Meet; India Firm On 'Disengagement By PLA'

India and China held the seventh round of military level talks on Monday which went on for 13 hours, the conclusion of which may be declared officially by the government on Tuesday or Wednesday.

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New Delhi: India and China held the seventh round of military level talks on Monday which went on for 13 hours, the conclusion of which may be declared officially by the government on Tuesday or Wednesday. The Corps commander-level talks began at around 12 noon in Chushul on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. Citing government sources new agency PTI reported that  India insisted on restoration of status quo ante of April and comprehensive disengagement of troops by China from all the friction points in eastern Ladakh. There is no official word on the talks yet but sources said the agenda was to finalise a roadmap for disengagement of troops from all the friction points. The standoff between the two countries began on May 5. Following the sixth round of military talks, the two sides announced a slew of decisions including not to send more troops to the frontline, refrain from unilaterally changing the situation on the ground and avoid taking any actions that may further complicate matters. Huge number of Chinese troops still deployed along LAC: Even as both the countries have entered the sixth month of the border standoff and have held total seven military level talks for resolving the dispute, close to 100,000 Indian and Chinese troops remaining deployed in the high-altitude region and showing readiness for a long-haul.