FRICTION POINTS IN LAC

1. Context 

2. Disengagement process

• Since the Corps commander-level talks in 2020, the two sides have so far undertaken disengagement from five friction points at Galwan after the violent clash in June 2020, the north and south banks of Pangong Tso in February 2021, at Patrolling Point (PP) 17 in the Gogra-Hot Springs area in August 2021 and PP15 in September 2022.
• On the Depsang Plains and Demchok, there are fundamental disagreements, as India maintains that they terming them as legacy issues predating the 2020 standoff.
• On several occasions, the situation along the LAC as "stable but unpredictable" while stating that five out of the seven friction points in Eastern Ladakh have been resolved and the focus is now on the remaining two points.
• The 18th round of Corps Commander talks was held at the Chushul Moldo meeting point on the Chinese side on April 23, 2023.
• The Indian stance on the same was consistent, i.e. restoration of status quo ante as on April 2020.
• The above entails the restoration of patrolling rights till the traditional patrolling points.
• On May 31, 2023, India and China held the 27th Meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) in New Delhi which made no headway and the two sides agreed to hold the 19th round of Corps Commanders talks very soon.
• In the past, Beijing has said that it would not accept India's demand for the restoration of the status quo ante before the standoff saying that "the status quo of April 2020 was created by India's illegal crossing of the LAC.
• Meanwhile, China has been undertaking a massive build-up of infrastructure, habitat and induction of new weapons and equipment along the 3, 488 km-long LAC, fundamentally altering the status quo on the ground.
• India too has been building infrastructure and undertaking capability enhancement to match the Chinese.
• This is in addition to the over 50, 000 troops and heavy equipment, on each side, which continue to be deployed close to the LAC in Eastern Ladakh.
• Against this backdrop, any de-escalation to restore the status quo predating the standoff looks remote.

Image source: Indian Defence Review

3. About Buffer zones and their status

• During the disengagement process, buffer zones were created at the friction points as per the understanding reached by the Corps Commanders-level talks.
• It was decided that both sides would pull back at an equal distance from the friction points to prevent any fresh flare-ups; also, no patrolling would be undertaken by both side till the overall disengagement and de-escalation are achieved after which the two sides have to work out new patrolling norms to maintain peace and tranquillity.
• All disengagements carried out earlier have been done based on mutual and equal security with no prejudice to LAC claims by either side.
• Since the beginning of the standoff, China had moved a large number of troops and equipment close to the LAC in addition to the ingress by Chinese troops inside Indian territory at friction points.
• On the North Bank, Chinese troops made ingress from Finger 8 up to Finger 4 blocking Indian Patrols.
• India holds its place till Finger 4 but claims territory till Finger 8 as per the alignment of the LAC.
• Disengagement has been undertaken there since and buffer zones at all five points continue to be in place.
• To ensure that the Chinese are fully honouring the understanding reached, verification by aerial monitoring using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) as well as satellites is undertaken regularly.
• During the first phase of disengagement, both sides had pulled back troops by an equal distance from Patrolling Points (PP) 14 in Galwan Valley and PP 15 in Gogra-Hot Springs during which violent clashes occurred resulting in the deaths of 20 Indian Personnel and at least five deaths on the Chinese side.

4. The strategic significance of Depsang

• Demchok is one of the two mutually agreed-disputed areas in Eastern Ladakh, while Depsang is another friction point.
• In Demchok, while there are varying claims in the Charding La area, China has set up tents on this side of Charding Nala.
• The crucial SubSector North (SSN) consists of the Depsang plains and Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO).
• Currently, the airfield at DBO is accessible by the 255 km-long Darbuk-Shyok-DBO (DSDBO) road.
• A plan for an alternate axis across Saser La which has an ancient trade route is in the works.
• In Depsang Plains, Chinese troops have been blocking Indian Army patrols from going up to the PPs 10, 11, 11A, 12 and 13 beyond the Y junction.
• Chinese build-up in this area threatens Indian positions at DBO and also brings Chinese troops closer to the DSDBO road.
• Depsang is also close to the Karakoram Pass overlooking the strategic Saltoro ridge and Siachen glacier, the World's highest battlefield.
• Senior officials have stated that the Indian Army last accessed the patrolling points in Depsang in January and February 2020.
• Also, the distance from the Limit of Patrol (LoP) on which the PPs are marked, to the LAC is the maximum in the Depsang area.
• Depsang has seen several face-offs in the past and as reported earlier, officials pointed out that as India's capacity in the areas increased, especially since 2013, the number of troops and frequency of patrols had gone up and with it the number of face-offs.