On Monday, ex-Jammu & Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah put aside political differences to congratulate PM Modi and his team on ending the Doklam stand-off with China. He praised the government's diplomatic efforts stating it was even more remarkable because it was done without 'chest thumping'. He expressed his candid views on Twitter.

India getting the better of China is all the more remarkable because it was done without any chest thumping & bluster.Kudos PM Modi & team — Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) August 28, 2017

For a very long time, there was bipartisan support for the government of the day when it came to tackling internal and external security challenges. But in the last few years, we have seen, as our political discourse has coarsened, that has challenged the unwritten rule in Indian politics. So much so, parties have asked for proof when the Indian Army conducted the surgical strike. Sushma Swaraj speaking on Doklam issue, expressed regret that Rahul Gandhi got briefed from the Chinese envoy rather than asking the government about what is the issue on hand. Thus in these divisive times, Omar's gesture is a rare exception, where an opposition political leader is willing to doff his hat to deft handling of a precarious diplomatic stand-off that could have snowballed into a major conflict.

India and China have agreed to "expeditious disengagement" of border personnel at Dokalam, New Delhi said today, a week before the BRICS summit in China that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend. In a major diplomatic breakthrough, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the two countries had maintained "diplomatic communication" and were able to express their views, concerns and interests.

Indian Army sources said the process to withdraw troops -- India had deployed about 350 Army personnel in the area -- from Dokalam near Sikkim was underway. Troops of the two countries have been locked in a standoff in Dokalam since June 16 after Indian troops stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the disputed area.

The MEA statement did not explicitly say if Chinese and Indian troops have withdrawn from the area but China claimed in a statement today that Indian troops have indeed pulled back. China, however, remained ambiguous about the status of its own troops.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing, "Chinese troops on the ground have verified it. China continues to exercise sovereignty. China will make adjustments according to the situation." Asked if the Chinese statement means that China has not made any concession, officials in New Delhi said expeditious disengagement implies withdrawal of both parties because a unilateral withdrawal by India would not have needed or required an agreement with China.

"In recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Dokalam. During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests. "On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site in Dokalam has been agreed to and is on-going," the MEA statement said. Hua, the Chinese spokesperson, said Indian soldiers and equipment had been pulled back to the Indian side of the border. The Chinese side, she added, continues to patrol the Dokalam area.

"The Chinese side continues to uphold sovereignty and territorial integrity according to the historical convention," she said. The BRICS summit, that brings together Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, will be held in the Chinese city of Xiamen from September 3-5. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj recently said both sides should first pull back their troops for any talks to take place, and favoured a peaceful resolution of the border standoff.

With inputs from PTI