Editor’s Pick: Holiday season at the LAC

The Hindu Newsletter - Newsletter - subject [The Hindu Logo]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Linkedin]( [Instagram]( Thursday 11, February 2021 [alt_text]( Editor's Pick Holiday season at the LAC [alt_text]( (The Editor's Pick is a new newsletter from The Hindu that provides a snapshot of the most important stories from today's edition of our newspaper, along with a note from our top editors on why we chose to give prominence to these stories.) The Chinese military has announced that along with the Indian side, it has begun a [synchronised withdrawal at the Pangong Tso Lake](~:text=China's%20military%20announced%20on%20Wednesday,the%20first%20step%20in%20the) area in Ladakh. While India has not yet made any formal announcements on the withdrawal, The Hindu has learnt from senior officials that the plan is for both sides to pull back to their[April 2020 positions at the lake](. As an initial move, India has pulled back some tanks and armoured vehicles. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to make an [announcement on the situation in Ladakh]( in Rajya Sabha today. The Pangong Tso lake, through which the Line of Actual Control passes, was the site of [multiple clashes after the border standoff]( between the two countries began last year. The north bank of the lake with its distinctive finger-like geographic formations saw the earliest clash on May 5, leaving several soldiers injured. The Chinese have dominated the north bank since then, patrolling all the way to finger 4 from finger 8, the point up to which India claims. [Another clash on the south bank](in August left India dominating the heights on that side. There have been [nine rounds of talks at the corps commander level]( since June last year to come up with a disengagement plan for the LAC, with Pangong Tso being a major point of friction. In September, there were meetings between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and their Chinese counterparts trying to thrash out a solution. While the EAM's meeting came up with a [5-point resolution](, it took nearly 5 months and several more rounds of military-level talks before some movement was reported on the ground. However, there have been [announcements of disengagement]( before that have fallen flat. While Pangong Tso is a crucial point in the engagement map along the LAC, with the Chinese having moved [8 km into Indian territory](at this point, the issue doesn't end here. The Depsang plains to the north of the lake and the Demchok sector to the south have seen major incursions by the Chinese. As per reports, these areas are not part of the current disengagement plan and will be discussed later. Hence while, major issues remain, continued talks seem to have broken the impasse at one location at least — right in time for the lunar new year, China's biggest holiday. This is what makes the story important. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor's Pick and more. [Click here]( Try out The Hindu's daily news quiz With Twitter blocking content and several accounts due to the ongoing farmers’ protest, several Union Ministers and government departments set up accounts in which Indian-made app, seen as an alternative to Twitter? 1. Woo 2. Pigeon 3. Telegram 4. Koo To find out the answer and play the full quiz, [click here]( The Big Story [Both sides disengaging from Pangong lake area, says China]( [alt_text]( From the Front Page [alt_text]( [Indian laws must be followed: Government to Twitter]( [alt_text]( [Modi bats for reforms, invites farmers for discussions again]( From the Opinion Pages [alt_text]( [Disinformation is a cybersecurity threat]( [alt_text]( [Taking the long view with China]( Today's Editorials [Media as target: On ED searches]( at NewsClick office [Origin and spread: On the source]( of SARS-CoV-2 You are receiving this email because you are a user of [thehindu.com]( If you do not wish to receive any such emails, [unsubscribe here.](mailto:rm-0bfhtzdsbf2f90kaup33rtbysa8hk70@newsalert.thehindu.com?subject=Unsubscribe&body=You will be unsubscribed from our mailing list.) To ensure you continue to receive emails from The Hindu in your inbox, please add newsletters.th@newsalert.thehindu.com to your contact. If you can't see the mailer, please [click here.]( Group Sites [The Hindu]( | [இந்து தமிழ் திசை]( | [Business Line]( | [BL on Campus]( | [Sportstar]( | [Frontline]( | [The Hindu Centre]( | [Images]( | [roofandfloor]( | [Classifieds]( Copyright @ 2021 ,THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. [About Us]( | [Contact Us]( | [Digital Subscription](