Amid G20 handshake, Indian Army flaunts strong 'pitch' at Galwan

New Delhi: A day after Foreign Minister S Jaishankar shook hands with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang in New Delhi on the sidelines of the G20 summit calling the relations between the two countries 'abnormal', the Indian Army released pictures of soldiers playing cricket in eastern Ladakh - a flashpoint between the two countries since May 2020, triggering military tensions.

Though the Indian Army did not give out the exact location, the location is approximately 4 km from Patrol Point 14, the site of the ugly clash in Galwan where 20 Indian soldiers were killed in June 2020.

The location where the Indian Army is playing cricket is well beyond the buffer zone created by the two sides to avoid physical confrontations.

The Leh-based 14 Corps of the Indian Army tweeted, "Patiala Brigade Trishul Division organised a cricket competition in an extreme high-altitude area in sub-zero temperatures with full enthusiasm and zeal. We make the Impossible Possible."

Both India and China pulled back by 1.5 kms each and the area turned into a buffer zone. The Indian side moved back 700 metres. The first camp is 700 metres behind, followed by camp 2 and camp 3 at approximately the same distance with an Indian deployment to keep a watch on Chinese activities.

Sources say while no patrolling is being done till PP 14, the point of the clash, it is necessary to maintain a vigil through various surveillance methods to keep a check on Chinese activities as they continue to be present in large numbers not too far away from the contentious point.