Indian and Chinese forces’ disengagement in Ladakh’s strategic Depsang and Demchok areas is set to conclude by Tuesday, October 29. This will allow both armies to resume coordinated patrols in regions that have remained inaccessible since the military standoff began in April 2020.
The nearly four-year-long standoff, which saw heightened tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), has significantly affected both nations’ ability to patrol sensitive areas near the border. In recent days, Army officials reported that temporary military structures at the sites are being systematically dismantled. Partial verification of these de-escalation efforts has been conducted jointly, involving ground-level checks and surveillance through unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
As part of this disengagement strategy, troops from both sides gradually relocate to rear positions, reducing the risk of further escalation. According to Army sources quoted in media, patrols to the previously restricted zones will initially be limited to small contingents of 10 to 15 soldiers to ensure safety and adherence to the new patrolling protocols. The verification process, a crucial component of this disengagement, includes coordinated efforts from both armies, with officers from India and China overseeing the process to maintain transparency and prevent misunderstandings.
Satellite imagery, accessible to the public, corroborates these developments, showing the removal of temporary Chinese military structures in both Depsang and Demchok. This confirmation comes on the heels of last week’s announcement by India of a newly devised patrolling arrangement in the Depsang Plains and Demchok, followed by China’s acknowledgement that both sides were “engaged in relevant work,” describing the progress as “smooth.”
Upon completion of the verification process, the plan allows for the start of coordinated patrols, expected within two days. To prevent inadvertent confrontations, advance notifications will be issued by each side before patrols enter the newly accessible zones. These structured arrangements are reportedly being expanded to include similar protocols in Arunachal Pradesh’s Yangtse, Asaphila, and Subansiri valleys, where both nations also share disputed border areas.
In Depsang, Indian forces will soon regain access to critical patrolling points beyond the bottleneck where Chinese forces had previously restricted Indian movement. Similarly, in Demchok, Indian troops are anticipated to patrol key positions such as Track Junction and Charding Nullah, enhancing India’s reach in these previously restricted areas.
Despite the progress in disengagement, officials emphasise that large-scale troop deployments, initially mobilised by India in 2020 in response to the standoff, will remain stationed in Ladakh for the foreseeable future. These deployments are likely to continue until both sides reach a comprehensive agreement on border patrolling mechanisms, conditions for sustained mutual trust, and further verification protocols, which are essential to prevent the recurrence of such high-stakes standoffs.
This week’s developments are seen as a significant step towards reducing tensions along the LAC, marking one of the most substantial advances in India-China relations since the start of the standoff.
