INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
New Delhi: The eighth round of military talks on the Ladakh standoff with the Chinese PLA was candid, in-depth and constructive, the Indian
Army said on Sunday, amid no signs of a concrete breakthrough on disengagement of troops in the high-altitude region.In a joint statement,
the two armies said it was agreed to earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and ensure that
said both sides agreed to maintain dialogue and communication through military and diplomatic channels, and take forward the discussions for
the settlement of outstanding issues.The Indian Army and China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) held the eighth round of talks in
Chushul on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh on Friday
said the two sides had a candid, in-depth and constructive exchange of views on disengagement along the LAC in the Western Sector of
India-China border areas."Both sides agreed to earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries,
ensure their frontline troops exercise restraint and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation," the statement said."Both sides agreed to
maintain dialogue and communication through military and diplomatic channels, and, taking forward the discussions at this meeting, push for
sources said the Indian Army, at the talks, strongly insisted on early disengagement of troops by China from all the friction points in
eastern Ladakh, adding there was no breakthrough on the resolution of the row.Nearly 50,000 Indian Army troops are currently deployed in a
high state of combat readiness in various mountainous locations in eastern Ladakh in sub-zero conditions as multiple rounds of talks between
the two sides have not yielded concrete outcome to resolve the standoff
Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat on Friday said India will not accept any shifting of the LAC, and noted that the possibility of transgressions
and confrontations on the border spiralling into a larger conflict cannot be ruled out.The Indian delegation at the eighth round of military
talks was led by Lt Gen PGK Menon, the newly-appointed Commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps.Naveen Srivastava, Joint Secretary (East Asia) in
maintain dialogue and communication through military and diplomatic channels to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution for disengagement
"as early as possible".India has all along been maintaining that the onus is on China to carry forward the process of disengagement and
de-escalation at the friction points in the mountainous region.Following the sixth round of military talks, the two sides announced a slew
of decisions including not to send more troops to the frontline, refrain from unilaterally changing the situation on the ground and avoid
five-point agreement reached between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi at a meeting in Moscow on
September 10 on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO) conclave.The pact included measures like quick disengagement of
troops, avoiding action that could escalate tensions, adherence to all agreements and protocols on border management and steps to restore
peace along the LAC.When asked about the six-month-long military standoff, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said at
a media briefing on Friday that both sides continue to maintain close communication at the military and diplomatic levels to achieve
