Doklam standoff ends as both India and China agree to disengagement of troops

The Ministry of External Affairs of India said in a statement on Monday that both the countries had communicated with each other regarding the Doklam issue in the last few weeks.

"In recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Doklam. During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests" the statement reads.

"On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is on-going" the MEA added.

The ongoing military standoff  has heightened tension at the Bhutan-India-China tri-junction in Doklam, a disputed territory claimed by both Bhutan and China, where the Indian Army personnel have reached to stop China from building a road.

China has accused India of trespassing into its territory and demanded withdrawal of troops leading to a prolonged standoff.

While India and Bhutan say the land belongs to the tiny Himalayan kingdom and that the Indian troops are there at the request of Bhutan, China earlier warned that it will not accept any dialogue till Indian soldiers pull out from Doklam.

In a recent development to the ongoing standoff, Chinese troops clashed with their Indian counterparts in Ladakh on August 16.

Soldiers from both the countries received injuries as they were involved in stone pelting along the line of control in eastern Ladakh.

Both the countries were seen to be involved in rhetoric related to the Doklam standoff.

China threatened India with the possibility of a war as the former reminded the latter's defeat in the 1962 Indo-Sino war.

India retaliated verbally saying the nation is no longer the same as 1962.

Image: Official Facebook page of Narendra Modi.