Talks on, but China engages in fresh provocation at Pangong Tso: Centre

In a fresh row, Chinese troops reportedly engaged in provocative action once again near the south bank of Pangong Tso lake on Tuesday (September 1), just a couple of days after making similar attempts to “alter the status quo” at the Line of Actual Control.

The Army, however, prevented these attempts, the Foreign Ministry said.

According to NDTV, the latest engagement between the two troops occurred during the daytime when Indian soldiers intercepted Chinese counterparts while they were trying to scale heights patrolled by the Indian Army. A Chinese commander was reportedly asked to command his forces to step down and prevent any escalation.

In a similar incident in the intervening night of August 29 and 30, the Chinese Army “violated the previous consensus” and “carried out provocative military movements” near the Pangong Tso Lake, the Foreign Ministry had said.

The Chinese troops engaged in provocative action once more on August 31, at a time when the commanders of both sides were holding discussions to de-escalate the situation, Indian foreign ministry spokersperson Anurag Srivastava had said.

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In a defensive step, India has said that it has taken full military control of the entire disputed area till its perception of the LAC in the region. Indian soldiers now patrol key ridges on the south bank of the lake.

India has also taken up the matter with Beijing through diplomatic and military channels and asked them to “to discipline and control their frontline troops from undertaking such provocative actions.”

The status quo between the two countries in eastern Ladakh was shaken after their troops clashed on June 15, leading to the death of 20 Indian soldiers and an unestablished number of Chinese soldiers.