Indian and Chinese troops, who clashed on Tuesday at Pangong Tso, today decided to strengthen the existing border mechanism to maintain peace and tranquillity along the 3,488-km long disputed Line of Actual Control (LaC).
This was decided at a meeting between Indian and Chinese troops at Chusul in eastern Ladakh.
Chusul is one of the five designated meeting points for troops on ground on either side to sort out local differences. Indian and Chinese troops on Tuesday morning had a scuffle at the Pangong Tso Lake and later even threw stones at each other.
Scuffles are known to happen between troops along the border but throwing stones at each other is rare and unprecedented.
In a different sector in Doklam in Bhutan, Indian and Chinese troops are engaged in a 9-week-long standoff. China wants to build a road through the Doklam Plateau which will threaten the crucial Siliguri corridor that connects mainland India to the seven northeastern states.
Tuesday's scuffle at Pangong and stone throwing incident has been viewed seriously by both sides.
Sources aware of the Border Personnel Meeting at Chusul said both sides also discussed to put behind the Ladakh clash incident.
As per 2013 Border Defence Agreement between the two sides, patrols which come face to face with each other are supposed to hold up banners asking the other side to withdraw. Neither side is supposed to trail the patrol coming from the other side as well.
Tuesday's stone throwing and scuffle is being viewed as a major violation of the established protocol and mechanism.
