India-China border dispute: Beyond the hype, the reality of the LAC
- Ladakh certainly has been and will continue to remain a serious flashpoint.
- There are no borders here except a 1,597 km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC), a notional demarcation separating India and China since 1962. Even the LAC is not well defined.
Key highlights
- Both countries have differing perceptions.
- The patrolling is done till 65 earmarked Patrol Points (PPs) stretching from Karakoram to Chumur.
- The recent dispute points occurred at PP9, 10, 11, 12, 12A and 13 in Depsang, PP14 in Galwan, PP15 and PP16 in Hot Springs/ Chang Chenmo, and PP17 and 17A in Gogra.
Chushul-Pangong Sector
- In the Chushul-Pangong sector, the situation in the Sirijap range on the north bank of Pangong, where Finger series 1 to 8 jut out, is stable.
- In May 2020, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) entered the Finger 3-4 area to prevent Indian troops from patrolling.
- After the disengagement agreement in February 2021, the status quo prior to May 2020 is being restored.
Kailash Range
- In the Kailash range, the PLA’s provocative move in early September 2020 to capture Nyanlung Yokma/Gongma or the Kailash Heights, at an altitude of 15,000 feet located between Pangong Tso and Spanggur Gap
- Was foiled by the Indian Army in a major pre-emptive strategic manoeuvring.
Chang Chenmo Valley
- PLA’s intrusions in Galwan Valley, Changlung Nalla, Hot Springs and Kongrung Nalla of Chang Chenmo Valley, where it had created area denial for Indian troops, are also relatively peaceful now.
- The situation in the Gogra-Hot Springs area remained volatile until September 8, 2022, when both sides agreed to disengage.
Depsang and Demchok
- Currently, only Depsang and Demchok remain points of friction, predating the 2020 stand-off.
- The Shyam Saran Report of August 2013 made a chilling revelation of India having lost 640 sq km area due to “area denial” by the PLA.
- Experts suggest that the Chinese are in control of 600-800 sq km of the southern half of Depsang Plains.
- complete disengagement has been elusive.
Infrastructure upgrades
- Earlier, the Chinese bullied and coerced India because of the latter’s lax attitude and grabbed a chunk of Ladakh territory between the 1960s and 1990s.
- The government has fast-tracked the connectivity projects, including the 260 km long Shyok-DBO road that was completed on a war footing.
- DBO can be reached from Dorbuk in eight hours now, which gives Indian troops a major advantage in the difficult terrain.
Conclusion
- Technically, there has been no intrusion on the Indian side of the LAC.
- The discrepancies have occurred only in the grey-zone patrolling areas due to differences in LAC perception.
- Both sides should grasp fresh opportunities to revive the stalled process of clarifying the LAC after the new government is formed in New Delhi.