Lt Gen PGK Menon, tipped to succeed Leh Corps Commander Lt Gen Harinder Singh in October as commander of the Army formation front and Centre in the 2020 military standoff with China, is the Army Headquarters representative at today's talks.The need for an expanded delegation-level meeting today, instead of the purely Ladakh-centric military talks that have happened across five previous rounds, was mutually decided on with the intention to buck the trend of long-winded discussions that have failed to break the deadlock.Since Lt Gen Menon succeeds Lt Gen Harinder next month, he was considered the obvious choice.Lt Gen Menon, who is currently posted as Additional Director General of the Complaints Advisory Board (CAB) at Army HQ is in charge of the service redressal mechanism and reports directly to Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Mukund Naravane.He has also been Colonel of the Regiment (senior-most serving officer) of the Sikh Regiment since January this year.But this won't be Lt Gen Menon's first brush with the Chinese Army by any stretch.
Less than two years ago in November 2018, he led the first Major General level talks between India and China at Bum La on the Arunachal Pradesh-Tibet border.
At the time he was General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Assam-headquartered 71 Infantry Division.Lt Gen PGK Menon led the first Major General level talks between India and China at Bum La on the Arunachal Pradesh-Tibet border in November 2018.
(Photo:Indian Army)Like Chushul-Moldo in Ladakh, Bum La is a designated border meeting point.
He had held discussions at the time with the PLA's Major General Li Xi Zhong.
The 2018 meeting had come a year after the two-month India-China army standoff at Doklam near Sikkim.Owing to the Ladakh standoff, Arunachal Pradesh has also been on edge in recent days.
India Today recently reported on a marked Chinese build-up in at least four locations across the border from Arunachal Pradesh, sparking a military high alert on the state's borders as well.Lt Gen Menon isn't the only officer flying in from Delhi for Monday's talks at Chushul-Moldo.
A Joint Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is also attending, making it the first occasion during the current standoff that a composite military-government delegation is fronting talks aimed at disengagement.They are also, it must be said, a sign that every effort is being made to ensure that the sixth round doesn't end up like the last five.
| At 4 flashpoints near Pangong lake, heavily armed Indian and Chinese troops separated by a few metres