By Devjyot Ghoshal
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – China has dismantled dozens of structures and moved vehicles to empty entire camps along the disputed Himalayan border, where Indian and Chinese troops have been in direct confrontation since last summer, show satellite images released on Wednesday .
Neighbors with nuclear weapons last week announced a plan to remove troops, tanks and other equipment from the shores of Pangong Tso, a glacial lake in the Ladakh region, which has become a critical point in the protracted border dispute.
Satellite images of some areas on the north bank of Pangong Tso, provided Tuesday by Maxar Technologies, show that several Chinese military camps, which could be seen there in late January, have been removed.
“Similar action is taking place on our side as well,” an Indian official in New Delhi, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.
India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh told parliament that both sides agreed to withdraw troops “in a gradual, coordinated and verified manner” around Pangong Tso, after which military commanders would discuss ending the impasse in other parts of the Ladakh border.
Tensions began to rise along the high-altitude border in April, when India accused Chinese troops of meddling on its side of the Royal Control Line, the de facto border. China denied the charge, saying it was operating in its own area.
But the clash escalated in June, when 20 Indian soldiers and an undisclosed number of Chinese soldiers were killed during hand-to-hand clashes in the Galwan region of Ladakh – the first such victims along the 3,500 km (2,200 miles) border in decades.
Despite several subsequent rounds of diplomatic and military talks, India and China were unable to reach an agreement until February, making the first phase of the withdrawal critical.
“What is happening now is that wherever the troops, especially north and south of Pangong Tso, were in eye-to-eye contact, they took a step back to reduce tensions and pave the way for further deceleration,” said the Indian official.
Videos and images released by the Indian army earlier this week also showed Chinese troops dismantling bunkers and tents, and tanks, soldiers and vehicles leaving as part of the withdrawal process.
But some experts have warned that the current withdrawal is only the first step in a potentially long process.
“It is still a long way from a total shutdown or an agreement on what we should do,” former Indian National Security adviser Shivshankar Menon told The Wire newspaper.
“We need a lot more than just disengagement. We need a return to positions before April last year.”
(Reporting by Devjyot Ghoshal; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani and Simon Cameron-Moore)