India had to face a humiliating defeat in the 1962 war with China. Much of Ladakh’s Aksai Chin was taken away. Even after 62 years, the Indian Army and China’s PLA are stuck in a stalemate on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh. The conflict has increased significantly since 2020. Dozens of rounds of talks were held between the two sides.
The result was that buffer zones were created in Galwan and Pangong. Soldiers should be called back to their limits. But China was not ready to return to the situation of April 2020. In the buffer zone, land has been cleared on a large scale from Indian territory. Depsang plain in the north of northern Ladakh and Demchok in the south. Soldiers will patrol here.
There has been a border dispute between India and China for years. The entire part is in dispute. Both countries do not agree on the determination of the border. China claims most of the Indian areas as its own. China claims an area of 90,000 square kilometers in northeastern India, which it calls Southern Tibet. This is an area near Arunachal Pradesh.
What are buffer zones?
The border dispute has been stalled for almost four years. The creation of a buffer zone has reduced tension, but tension remains between the two sides. Both sides are increasing their military strength. New weapons are being deployed. Despite efforts to resolve the standoff, the possibility of a border war still remains. Buffer zones are actually those areas close to the border, where disputes have already taken place. There has been a conflict. To stop this, it is called a buffer zone. Soldiers from both countries patrol their respective sides of the buffer zone. In Galwan it is 3 kilometers long. While in Pangong 10 kilometers. In Depsang it is between 14 and 19 kilometers long.
From 1962 until now…
India claims 5,300 square kilometers in the Shaksgam Valley of Jammu and Kashmir, which Pakistan occupied in 1947-48, in addition to the 38,000 square kilometers it lost to China in the 1962 war. It was handed over to China in 1963. After the 1962, there were several clashes between India and China: Nathu La and Cho La (1967), Tulung La (1975) and Sumdorong Chu (1986-1987). Despite this, the situation along the Line of Actual Control was calm from the 1990s to the mid-2000s.
These peace agreements were also made…
Agreement to Maintain Peace and Tranquility in 1993. Military Confidence Building Measures in 1996. Political Standards and Guiding Principles for the Border in 2005 and Border Defense Cooperation in 2013. These agreements helped maintain peace in the LAC. But this began to change in 2013-2014. The Chinese army invaded Indian territory. In April-May 2013, Chinese soldiers entered the Depsang Valley up to 19 km. The confrontation continued for 21 days.
What is the new agreement…?
A major agreement has been reached in the border dispute between India and China. In which both countries agreed to resume patrols in Depsang and Demchok in Ladakh. According to this, the Indian Army will patrol along its border. It was like this before 2020. That means there will be patrols twice in two months.
Main points of this agreement
– Resumption of patrols in the Depsang and Demchok plain.
– The Indian army patrolling along its border. In the situation before 2020.
– Patrol frequency twice in two months.
– The situation will remain the same in Galwan Valley and Pangong Tso.
– An agreement has also been signed in sensitive areas of Arunachal Pradesh in the Eastern Theatre.
This agreement is an important step in reducing the border dispute between India and China, but there are still many challenges that both countries will have to resolve. There are usually between 13 and 18 soldiers patrolling. But now only 14 or 15 soldiers will patrol to avoid conflicts.
Both parties will exchange their patrol schedules and if there is any date or time conflict, they will be changed by mutual agreement. Sources say the patrols will be well coordinated between both sides. They will inform each other. This agreement is an important step towards reducing the border dispute between India and China.
