New date being explored after PLA suggests talks on Kargil Vijay Diwas

India and China are set to hold the next round of talks soon to resolve the eastern Ladakh border standoff. Both sides are working on a fresh date after the one suggested by the Peoples Liberation Army happened to be Kargil Vijay Diwas.

Plans to hold the 12th round of talks between corps commander level officers, to achieve a breakthrough in remaining areas since tension broke out last year, have been in the works since a few days.

Army insiders said while PLA suggested July 26, the Indian side asked for a fresh date as senior officers will be busy commemorating functions at Ladakh. President Ram Nath Kovind is expected to be the chief guest at a function in Kargil to mark the battle.

The talks, which could take place next week, will include discussions on disengagement at Gogra, Hot Springs and the Depsang Plains to build on the gains from the demilitarisation of forward positions at Pangong Tso.

India has said that there can be no de-escalation of tensions unless PLA moves back from forward areas at Gogra and Hot Springs on the same lines of the Pangong withdrawal. Besides the forward deployments at Gogra and Hot Springs, the greater concern is the buildup of PLA forces near the border in eastern Ladakh, with an estimated 50,000 soldiers oriented towards India.