LAC and LOC: India has a number of border disputes with its neighbors, China and Pakistan. For a long time, these border conflicts have aided in the onset of war between these countries. LOC stands for Line of Control, while LAC stands for Line of Actual Control. The LOC is a military-marked, clearly defined border. The LOC, for example, is the border separating parts of India from Pakistan-controlled Jammu Kashmir, but the LAC is a boundary between India and China that is not precisely defined, such as Aksai Chin.
WHAT IS LOC?
This is a form of the border that separates sections of the Indian UT, namely Jammu and Kashmir. The “Line of Control” (LOC) is approximately 776 kilometers long. Jammu and Kashmir, which makes up around 45 per cent of Kashmir, is the Indian component of the LOC (southern and eastern portions of the territory).
WHAT IS LAC?
The Line of Actual Control (LAC) is an acronym for Line of Actual Control. It is the line that separates India and China. Although there was no definite resolution of land positions between these two countries, the idea of a “Line of Actual Control” (LAC) was born in a bilateral agreement in 1993.
The LAC separates Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory. It is a wide vacant territory, with India’s and China’s forces separated by about 50 to 100 kilometers.
The Chinese government estimates that the LAC is around 2,000 kilometers long, while India estimates that it is 3,488 kilometers long.
The LAC is separated into three regions: the western sector of Ladakh, the middle sector of Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh, and the eastern sector of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LAC AND LOC?
The LOC arose from the 1948 ceasefire line negotiated by the United Nations after the Kashmir War (UN). It was given the moniker LoC in 1972, following the Shimla Agreement between the two countries. It is depicted on a map signed by the Director-General of Military Operations (DGMO) of both forces, and it has the international status of a genuine treaty.
The LAC, on the other hand, is only a notion; neither country agrees on it, and it is neither outlined on a map nor marked on the ground.
WHAT ARE THE CROSS-LOC CONFLICTS BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN?
India and Pakistan have unresolved border problems in the Jammu and Kashmir region, which is a remnant of the 1948 war.
There was also a mutually delineated CeaseFire Line (CFL) when peace was signed, which was indicated on maps and jointly surveyed by both troops.
With minor adjustments, this CFL became the Line of Control after the Shimla Agreement, which ended the 1971 struggle for Bangladeshi independence (LoC).
The new terminology was designed to emphasise that J&K was a bilateral dispute that needed to be amicably resolved between Pakistan and India.
The LoC remained generally quiet since the Shimla accord until it changed in the 1990s as the internal security situation in J&K deteriorated.
While Pakistan was largely to blame for the J&K conflict, Kargil and subsequent cross-border aggressions heightened tensions.
The LoC began to heat up again by late 2015, despite the fact that things had calmed down since the 2003 ceasefire.
With as many as 860 ceasefire violations and 32 army casualties, 2017 was a very bad year.
THE INDIA-CHINA CONFLICTS ALONG LAC and LOC
The LAC mainly coincides with China’s claim line, however, in the eastern sector, the entire state of Arunachal Pradesh is claimed as South Tibet.
The Chinese refused to explain the LAC during the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to China in May 2015.
At the Wuhan (2018) and Mahabalipuram (2019) summits, however, both China and India reaffirmed their commitment to “maintain stability and serenity in the border areas.”
Since May 2020, soldiers from both countries have died in skirmishes at Galwan Valley, Pangongso Lake, and other locations around LAC. Since then, the tension along the LAC has skyrocketed.
AGGRESSION AT GALWAN VALLEY & PANGONGSO LAKE (2020)
Military: To balance Chinese deployments of extra divisions, tanks, and artillery, India has moved around the LAC.
India has also authorised the purchase of 33 Russian fighter aeroplanes and modifications to 59 fighters for Rs. 18,148 crores.
Economical: The government has prohibited 59 apps, claiming the “growing existence of hazards” posed by mobile apps, including popular Chinese apps like TikTok, ShareIt, UCBrowser, and Weibo.
In addition, due to lower imports, India’s trade deficit with China in 2019-2020 fell to $48.66 billion. The trade deficit in 2018-19 was $53.56 billion, compared to $63 billion in 2017-18. However, the border tensions, as well as the Covid-19 epidemic, have highlighted India’s economic reliance on China.
From semiconductors and active medicinal components to the telecommunications industry, where Chinese suppliers are participating not only in India’s 4 G network but also in ongoing 5 G trials, India remains reliant on Chinese goods in a number of critical and strategically sensitive industries.
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from China into India has decreased from $229 million in 2018-19 to $163.78 million in 2019-20.
In April 2020, the Indian government strengthened FDI criteria for countries that share land borders with India. The government’s approval was made mandatory.
PANGONGSO LAKE’S IMPORTANCE
location: It is a long, narrow, icy, endorheic (landlocked) lake located at an altitude of more than 13,000 feet in the Ladakh Himalayas.
Significance: It is located in the direction of the Chushul approach, which is one of China’s primary offensive approaches to Indian-controlled territory.
Governance: The Finger Sector, a series of eight cliffs stretching from the Sirijap mountain (on the northern bank of the Lake), is under-resourced in terms of governance.
Finger 8 is said to be coterminous with the LAC in India, however, it only physically regulates the region up to Finger 4.
Finger 8 has Chinese border checkpoints, although the LAC is thought to pass via Finger 2.
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE ABOUT THE CURRENT INDIA-CHINA TENSIONS ALONG THE LAKE OF THE WOODS?
Comprehensive protocols are in place to help troops settle face-off situations. The Protocol of 2005 and the Border Defense Cooperation Agreement of 2013 must be followed by all countries.
On April 1st, 2020, India and China will celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations. Both parties must recognise that the situation is delicate and that decades of painstakingly negotiated confidence-building practises have recently been undone.
The initial objective for India must be to restore the status quo ante at the border, as it was in April. Standing up to Chinese aggression will take both a show of military might at the border and diplomatic manoeuvring to make it clear to China that its participation will come at a high cost in all areas of the cooperation.
Even in the digital realm, India cannot afford to cut all links with the world’s second-largest economy. Chinese finance will be beneficial to India’s start-up economy. However, India will strive to substitute domestic products for Chinese ones in sectors where this is necessary under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. Also, it needs to improve its economic ties with other nations.
.
Read More Articles on Current Affairs
Follow on Youtube – Score Better
Join Us on Telegram For More Update
.