Top Indian, Chinese military officials to meet today for final disengagement

Indian and Chinese military commanders are scheduled to meet today at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Depsang and Demchok, aiming to finalise disengagement efforts that have been underway. This meeting is expected to confirm the removal of temporary structures and vehicles in the region, clearing the path for the resumption of regular patrolling duties.
As part of a phased disengagement process, aerial verification was successfully completed over Depsang on Tuesday. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) were deployed to confirm that temporary installations had been removed and that troops had withdrawn as planned. In Demchok, adverse weather conditions prevented a similar verification effort, but officials expect the process to be completed today.
The development comes days after External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on October 27 said that India and China would soon resume patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, restoring the arrangement as it was in April 2020, before the border standoff began.
By Tuesday evening, the area saw significant progress, with tents, temporary structures, and vehicles fully removed from both Depsang and Demchok. Simultaneous disengagement and verification procedures were meticulously carried out, marking a substantial step toward restoring stability along this stretch of the LAC.
The next phase will see the resumption of patrolling, expected to begin Thursday, October 31. However, joint patrolling is not on the agenda; soldiers from India and China will conduct their patrols separately. With a planned time gap, patrolling by both countries may occur on the same day, but not in tandem.
Indian troops will focus on five designated patrolling points in Depsang and two in Demchok. According to sources, these patrolling parties will assess if all temporary structures have been dismantled, effectively serving as the final verification of disengagement measures.