Amid LAC standoff, soldiers play cricket in Ladakh

The Indian Army has released photos and videos of its soldiers playing cricket at a very high-altitude forward location in eastern Ladakh amid the lingering border row with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the region.

The Army's Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps, which is responsible for guarding the LAC in the Ladakh sector, released the photos and said, "We make the impossible possible."

The match was played at an altitude of 14,500 ft and reflects the high morale and enthusiasm of the soldiers deployed in the inhospitable terrain, sources in the military establishment said.

However, the exact location was not mentioned.

The Fire and Fury Corps said in a tweet on Friday that the cricket competition was organised at an 'extreme high altitude' area in sub-zero temperatures.

'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,' it said.

A short video clip of the match has also come out.

This comes amid the continuing standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in the Demchok and Depsang regions of eastern Ladakh.

Tensions erupted on May 5, 2020 following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area.

The ties between the two countries nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.

As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in 2021 on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area.

In line with a decision taken at the 16th round of military talks, the two sides carried out disengagement from Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area in September last year.

But the face-off between the two of the planet's biggest military forces lingered on in Demchok and Depsang regions though the Indian side pressed for completion of the disengagement in remaining friction points at the earliest.

On February 22, India and China held in-person diplomatic talks in Beijing and discussed proposals for disengagement in the remaining friction points along the LAC in an 'open and constructive manner'.

The meeting took place under the framework of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC).