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Highlights
- The pictures which aired in China final night time aren’t dated
- Authenticity of pictures should be verified, senior military officer stated
- Yesterday, China started withdrawing its troops from three spots in Ladakh
New Delhi:
New satellite tv for pc pictures aired final night time by China on state-run tv do India the service of building its declare – that Chinese troops tried to stop Indian troopers from legit exercise on India’s aspect of the border within the Galwan Valley area as early as May, a full month earlier than lethal clashes – on the identical spot – noticed 20 Indian troopers killed within the line of responsibility.
Yesterday, China started withdrawing its troops from three spots in Ladakh which have hosted large border stress since early May.
A programme on CCTV-4, the Chinese state broadcaster, ran satellite tv for pc pictures final night time which, it stated, choose up an Indian helicopter pad and camps on the Galwan River at Patrol Point 14, situated at a top of about 14,000 toes above sea degree within the Western Himalayas. A senior Indian military officer informed NDTV that “the authenticity of the images (on Chinese television) will have to be verified.” He cannot be named on account of military rules.
On June 15, Chinese forces crossed into Indian territory, triggering a huge pushback from Indian troops in a hand-to-hand assault. While India confirmed the loss of 20 soldiers, China has not offered information on its casualties. Indian army sources put the number at 45.
The images which aired in China last night are not dated and point to the concentrated presence of Indian soldiers at Patrol Point 14 as also a newly-constructed helipad – all on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control. Satellite images from May 22, reported on NDTV earlier, do not register this activity. In fact, they indicated a single white igloo-shaped hut on the Galwan River bend with no other camps, either Chinese or Indian, visible. This indicates that the Indian construction and soldiers were pushed back by the Chinese on Delhi’s side of the disputed border. Subsequent images from the days after show a sizeable Chinese presence here with debris visible on June 16, a day after the deadly clashes between soldiers. Satellite images from June 25 show significant Chinese construction activity at the river-bend.
The river-bend is of great tactical importance as it allows soldiers to look at the military build-up by the opposite side along the banks of the river. India has always argued that the embankment along the Galwan River is clearly its territory, all the way upto Patrol Point 14.
Last month, while commenting on the border hostility, the Foreign Ministry referred to a clash between India and China at Galwan that had taken place in May, much before the deadly assault with iron rods and nail-studded batons on June 15. “In early May, the Chinese aspect had taken motion to hinder India’s regular, conventional patrolling sample within the Galwan Valley space,” said Anurag Srivastava, the ministry spokesperson. If the new images aired on Chinese television are authentic, they prove that Chinese troops attempted a clearing out of Indian activity which is why the troops and helipad are missing from later images.
What has already been established through satellite images that NDTV has reported on are clear-cut efforts by Chinese forces to step up their presence right on the embankment, which lies 423 metres beyond China’s own 1960 claim-line in the region. Chinese forces have also broadened the valley on their side of the Line of Actual Control and have converted tracks into paved roads near the embankment.
Yesterday, India and China began disengaging in this part of Eastern Ladakh, a cooling off that resulted after a two-hour-long negotiation by phone on Sunday between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
China’s aggression at the border in Ladakh is reportedly triggered by India’s changes to improve infrastructure including the construction of new roads to make travel for its soldiers easier. Yesterday, both sides thinned out their men in the Galwan, Hot Springs and Gogra areas by creating a “buffer” or no-man’s land between the two forces. However, here has been no significant change to Chinese positions in areas at the Pangong Lake which India holds as its own; nearly 190 Chinese structures including tents and accommodation have been set up in areas where the Indian Army used to patrol according to a mutual agreements.
Government sources tell NDTV that they are “cautiously hopeful” of a Chinese pull-back from all areas by the center of July by which period navy leaders are anticipated to carry one other spherical of high-level talks.
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