Before that, SR talks had been suspended after the December 2019 round in New Delhi, following the May 2020 standoff in multiple locations in Eastern Ladakh. Since then, the two countries have taken steps to ease tensions, including the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and multiple high-level meetings between their foreign and defence ministers.Tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) have persisted since the 2020 standoff, with both sides maintaining a heavy troop presence and military equipment along the frontier, even as disengagement has taken place at five flashpoints.In November 2024, following sustained military and diplomatic talks, patrolling resumed in Demchok and Depsang. Earlier disengagements were carried out in Galwan, Gogra, Hot Springs, and the north and south banks of Pangong Tso. De-induction of troops will depend on confidence-building measures, followed by de-escalation.While forces have withdrawn from certain standoff sites, there has been no overall reduction in troop strength or infrastructure on either side.Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said in January that the LAC remained “stable but sensitive” despite “a degree of standoff.”He stressed that troop levels depended on mutual trust.“Troop deployment directly depends on the trust factor and the capabilities that have been built on either side… And seeing the current situation, maintaining the current troop levels is needed… During winters, the focus remains on stability, and any changes will only come after a comprehensive review in summer,” Gen. Dwivedi said.He added that since April 2020, “both sides have doctored the terrain,” with increased troop numbers and stocks of arms and ammunition. “So in these terms there is a degree of standoff,” he said.Defence and security analyst Major General Sudhakar Jee (Retd) reiterated that India continues to hold its position on restoring the status quo ante.He said: “Current profile of ‘Extended Stand-off’ must restore status quo ante to pre-April 2020 profile. Troops on both sides must de-escalate, de-mobilise and de-induct in a reasonable time-frame and a permanent solution to resolve the long pending border dispute must be undertaken making use of Protocol 2005. The 3,488 km long border be delineated on map and demarcated on ground between two neighbours at the earliest.”Gen. Sudhakar, who commanded the Indian Army’s Trishul Division responsible for defending the 932-km Eastern Ladakh frontier, stressed that the long-term solution lies in formal demarcation.The 3,488-km Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de facto boundary between India and China, is divided into the eastern, middle and western sectors, with multiple disputed points agreed upon by both sides.
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