At 6th Corps Commander-level talks, India demands restoration of status quo ante: Sources

In 6th Corps Commander-level talks held on Monday, India as per sources insisted that China must move back to pre-April 2020 positions in Eastern Ladakh. 14 Corps Chief Lt Gen Harinder Singh, Lt. Gen. PGK Men and a Joint Secretary of Ministry of External Affairs were a part of Indian delegation in meeting which commenced at around 10 am and went on till 11 pm. Sources added that Chinese side requested India to vacate positions taken on south bank of Pangong Tso.

This comes amid reports that Indian Army has occupied 6 new heights between August 29 and second week of September. Talks at Corps Commander level took place after more than a month as People's Liberation Army of China has engd in multiple provocations along Line of Actual Control. nda of Indian side was finalised during a high-level meeting in which National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and COAS General Maj Naravane.

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Rajnath Singh's statement on LAC faceoff

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made a statement on LAC situation in both Houses of Parliament. He affirmed that Armed Forces were capable of facing any challenge from China. While ackwledging that situation at LAC is very different both in terms of scale of troops involve and number of friction points, he reiterated India's commitment for a peaceful resolution of dispute. Observing that violent conduct of Chinese troops was a violation of all past agreements, he informed MPs that India has done counter deployments in area to safeguard border. 

Singh conceded that LAC boundary issue remains unresolved due to reluctance of China to recognise traditional and customary alignment of border. Furrmore, he added that China is in illegal occupation of 38,000 sq. km in Ladakh apart from 5,180 sq. km of Indian territory in PoK ceded by Pakistan in 1963. He explained that both sides continued to have a differing perception about LAC over last many decades. re are friction points in Eastern Ladakh, Gogra, Kongka La and Pangong Lake's rth and south banks. 

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(With ANI inputs)