New Delhi: The armies of India and China are set to hold the sixth round of Corps Commander-level talks in the next couple of days to explore ways to defuse tension in eastern Ladakh even as India further bolstered its dominance in over 20 mountain heights around the friction points near the Pangong lake, government sources said on Sunday.
They also said that the IAF is set to use the newly-inducted Rafale jets to carry out sorties in Ladakh as part of the overall boosting of combat readiness in view of provocative actions by Chinese troops including the three incidents of shots being fired in the air in the last three weeks.
On the sixth round of Corps Commander meeting, the sources said a joint secretary-level officer from the Ministry of External Affairs is expected to be part of the Indian delegation as India is looking for some concrete outcome from the dialogue.
"It is set to take place in the next two days. There is a possibility that it may take place tomorrow (Monday) itself," said a source.
The main focus of the meeting is expected to be on the implementation of a five-point agreement reached between the two countries.
Both sides reached the agreement to resolve the border row at a meeting between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO) meet in Moscow on September 10.
The agreement 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 Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The sources said the Indian Army also strengthened its dominance in over 20 strategic mountain heights around the northern and southern banks of Pangong lake as well as in the extended general area of Chushul in the last few days even as freezing conditions are gripping the area, the sources said.
The deployment of French-made Rafale jets in Ladakh came less than 10 days after they were formally inducted into the IAF.
At a ceremony in Ambala on September 10 where five Rafale jets were inducted into the IAF, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the induction of the fleet was crucial considering the atmosphere being created along the frontier and that it is a "big and stern" message to those eyeing India's sovereignty.
Speaking on the occasion, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria had said induction of Rafale jets could not have happened at a more opportune time considering the security scenario.