An army convoy carrying military material on its way to Ladakh amid border tension with China

NEW DELHI: During the sixth Corps Commander level talks held on September 21, India insisted that China should move back to the positions which existed before April-May 2020 timeframe in the Eastern Ladakh sector.

According to sources, India and China have agreed to continue talking to each other on the ground and keep lines of communication open to avoid the aggravation of the situation.

The sources further said that during the sixth Corps Commander level talks, China asked India to vacate the positions taken over by it on the south bank of Pangong Tso after August 29.

India insisted that China should move back to the positions which existed before April-May 2020 timeframe in the Eastern Ladakh sector, the sources added.

14 Corps Chief Lt Gen Harinder Singh and his likely successor Lt Gen PGK Menon along with a Joint Secretary from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had attended the meeting from the Indian side at Moldo on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The meeting started on Monday at around 10 am and went on till 11 pm.

The Corps Commanders of the two sides met after more than a month as both sides had been engaged in at least three firing incidents that have taken place along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The Corps Commanders met at the Moldo hut opposite Chushul on the Indian side.

Prior to the meeting, the agenda and issues of the Indian side were discussed and finalised during a high-level meeting attended by National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane, last week on Friday.

The talks happened at a time when the Indian side has also occupied six major hill features which are helping the Indian Army to be in dominating positions on heights.