The Army is not expected to seek any immediate flag meeting with Chinese field commanders to resolve the Dokalam border standoff. The reversal of its stand is a clear recognition of the fact that the dispute can be resolved only through high-level political intervention. The standoff, in the tri-junction of Sikkim, Bhutan and Tibet, has now entered its fourth week, even as China has ratcheted up its rhetoric in an unusual way.
Early attempts
During the early days of the standoff, the Indian Army repeatedly requested for flag meetings, in the hope of resolving the dispute at the local level.
However, on Monday, senior Army officers ruled out any immediate flag meetings. The move comes even as the two sides failed to achieve any diplomatic or political breakthrough — there has only been a brief handshake between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit.
“There is no belligerence or no barrel pointing. There is a state of stalemate on the ground. Diplomacy has to takeover. The issue is now at the highest levels,” a defence source said on Monday.
Pointing out that there are mechanisms such as the Special Representatives to deal with such issues, the source said flag meetings would yield nothing at this stage. “As far as troops are concerned, they cannot take any decision. There is no point in having a flag meeting,” he added.
On June 16, Chinese troops tried to construct a road through the disputed Dokalam plateau, which was physically blocked by Indian troops in the area triggering the present standoff.
Since then, both sides have pitched tents and are facing each other. Nearly Indian 300 soldiers are facing a slightly lower strength of Chinese troops. They are 100-150 metres from each other.
