THE nation and China have completed pulling back their troops from two face-off points on their disputed Himalayan frontier as planned, according to an Indian defence official.
The nuclear-armed neighbours reached a deal last week on patrolling the frontier in the Indian territory of Ladakh to end a four-year military stand-off, paving the way for improved bilateral political and business ties. The disengagement that began last week has been completed and verification of the process is in progress, the Indian official said on Wednesday.
Soldiers exchanged sweets in a goodwill gesture yesterday and began their patrols of the frontier soon after commanders on the ground finalised the modalities, he added.
The mostly undemarcated border of about 4,000km, which runs along the Himalayas, has been a source of tension between the world’s two most populous nations for decades, and resulted in a brief but bloody war in 1962.
Four years ago, 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed during border clashes.
The two sides then stopped patrolling several points on the border in Ladakh to avoid new confrontations, while moving tens of thousands of new troops and military equipment closer to the freezing mountainous region. — Reuters
