The Indian Army released pictures and videos of a fast-paced disengagement from the north bank of Pangong Tso on Tuesday that shows the China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) removing or dismantling the structures that had been in place since April 2020.
A 20-second clip shows PLA tents and bunkers being dismantled in the Pangong area of eastern Ladakh. Chinese forces also removed their jetty on the northern banks of the Pangong Tso, as well as a helipad.
Army releases visuals of PLA dismantling tents and bunkers from the Pangong area in Eastern #Ladakh. pic.twitter.com/Nj6qQsrJvt
— Rishikesh Kumar (@rishhikesh) February 16, 2021
In an another video, a large PLA convoy is seen retreating from the Pongong Tso flashpoint. The disengagement process between the two countries started after an agreement was reached between the military commanders of India and China on 10 February.
A large PLA convoy retreating from the Pangong Tso Flashpoint. pic.twitter.com/ETYsYz5Lyq
— Rishikesh Kumar (@rishhikesh) February 16, 2021
Earlier this week, disengagement took place on the southern bank of Pangong Tso from where PLA's Type-99 tank and Indian Army's Russian-made T-72 tank scaled down from the Chushul heights.
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, while speaking in parliament on 11 February, said that Indian soldiers will move back to the Dhan Singh Thapa post of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) which is near Finger 3. Similarly, PLA troops will go back to their permanent post, which is beyond Finger 8 and is known as Sirijap, a location that was captured by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the 1962 War.
Pangong Tso is located in eastern Ladakh which is marked by Fingers 1 through 8. India controls the western portion of the 45-km lake, while the rest is under Chinese control. As per the agreement reached between the two countries on 10 February, patrolling between Finger 4 and Finger 8 will be temporarily suspended.
The months-long standoff started when Indian and Chinese soldiers engaged in a brief duel over a patrolling disagreement in Pangong Tso in April 2020. New Delhi accused Beijing of erecting permanent infrastructure on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control while China came forward with similar allegations against India.