LOC and LAC

In this article, we have covered the difference between LOC and LAC, LAC full form, LOC full form, the definition of LOC and LAC, and the background. Let’s start with the main question of our topic, what is LAC and LOC?

What is LOC?

The Line of Control (full name: Line of Control) is a military control line that runs between Indian and Pakistani-controlled areas of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is not a legally recognised international boundary, but it functions as a de facto border. It was formed as part of the Simla Agreement, signed at the end of the Indo-Pakistani War in 1971, when the two countries agreed to call the ceasefire line "Line of Control" and committed to observing it regardless of their respective locations. Except for minor differences, the line is nearly identical to the 1949 cease-fire line.

What is LAC?

In the Sino-Indian border dispute, the Line of Actual Control (LAC full form) is a fictitious demarcation line that divides Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory. In a 1959 letter to Jawaharlal Nehru, Zhou Enlai is claimed to have used the word. It was afterwards referred to as the Sino-Indian War Line, which is now part of the Sino-Indian border dispute.

What is the LAC Divide?

The LAC is generally divided into three sectors:

• The western sector is located between India's Ladakh and China's Tibet and Xinjiang autonomous areas. The 2020 China–India conflicts took place in this sector.

• Between Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh on the Indian side and the Tibet autonomous area on the Chinese side is a midway, generally undisputed sector.

• The eastern sector is located between Arunachal Pradesh in India and the Tibet Autonomous Region in China. The McMahon Line is frequently followed in this sector.

What is The Background of LOC?

Following India's partition, the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir was contested by India and Pakistan, with India winning due to the ruler's accession to the country and Pakistan winning due to the province's Muslim majority population. The First Kashmir War lasted almost a year until a ceasefire was reached thanks to UN assistance. The two sides reached an agreement on a ceasefire line.

Only minor changes to the original ceasefire line were made during another Kashmir War in 1965 and the Indo-Pakistani War in 1971 (during which Bangladesh gained independence). The two countries agreed to convert the ceasefire line into a "Line of Control" and observe it as a de facto boundary that should not be crossed by armed action in the Simla Agreement of 1972. "Regardless of mutual disputes and legal interpretations," the agreement stated, "no side shall seek to unilaterally alter it."

What is LOC?

This is a form of the border that separates sections of the Indian UT, namely Jammu and Kashmir. The LOC is approximately 776 kilometres long. Jammu and Kashmir, which makes up around 45 percent 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 kilometres. The Chinese government estimates that the LAC is around 2,000 kilometres long, while India estimates that it is 3,488 kilometres 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.

Difference Between LOC and LAC

Let’s start discussing what is the difference between loc and lac?

Conflicts at LOC and LAC

What are The India-Pakistan Conflicts Across LOC?

• 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.

What are The India-China Conflicts Along LAC?

• It is the line drawn by the Survey of India at the official boundary depicted on maps, which includes Aksai Chin (occupied by China).

• 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, Pangong Lake, and other locations around LAC. Since then, the tension along the LAC has skyrocketed.

Significance of Pangong Lake Concerning LAC

It is a long, narrow, icy, endorheic (landlocked) lake located at an altitude of more than 13,000 feet in the Ladakh Himalayas. It is in the direction of the Chushul approach, which is one of China's primary offensive approaches to Indian-held territory. The Finger Sector, a group of eight cliffs that protrude from the Sirijap peak (on the Lake's northern bank), is overlooked. 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.

LOC Fencing

Along the 740 km (460 mi) Line of Control, India built a 550 km (340 mi) barrier. On the Indian-controlled side, the fence is usually roughly 150 yards long. Its claimed goal is to prevent arms smuggling and infiltration by separatist terrorists based in Pakistan.

The Anti-Infiltration Obstacle System (AIOS), which is electrified and connected to a network of motion sensors, thermal imaging devices, lighting systems, and alarms, is made up of a double-row of the fence and concertina wire 8–12 ft (2.4–3.7 m) in height. They serve as "rapid alert signals" to Indian troops, allowing them to be notified and attack infiltrators attempting to enter the country. Thousands of landmines have been planted in the little area between the rows of fencing.

The barrier's building began in the 1990s but stalled in the early 2000s as tensions between India and Pakistan grew. Following a ceasefire agreement in November 2003, construction restarted and was finished in late 2004. On September 30, 2004, the LoC fencing in Kashmir Valley and Jammu region was finished. According to Indian military sources, the fence has cut the number of militants crossing into the Indian side of the disputed state to attack soldiers by 80%.

Pakistan has condemned the barrier's building, claiming that it breaches bilateral agreements as well as relevant United Nations resolutions on the region. The European Union has backed India's position, describing the fencing as an "upgrade in technical methods to combat terrorist infiltration" and emphasising that the "Line of Control" was "delineated in compliance with the 1972 Simla Accord." Proposals for an enhanced smart fence on the Indian side were accepted in 2017, with trial runs planned first.

The Main Crossing Points at LOC

On the LoC, there are currently three major crossing locations. From north to south, they are:

Chakothi 

Salamabad crossing point is located on the Indo-Pak Line of Control between Chakothi and Uri in the Baramulla region of Jammu & Kashmir. It is a key cross-LoC commercial and travel route. On the Indian side, banking facilities and trade facilitation centres are being developed. Uri is home to the name "bridge of peace," which translates as "bridge of peace." After the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, when a mountain on the Pakistani side collapsed, the bridge was reconstructed by the Indian army. After a 61-year hiatus, this route reopened for business in 2008. On the Line of Control, the Srinagar–Muzaffarabad Bus travels via this bridge.

Tatrinote 

Through the Chakan Da Bagh crossing point, a road connects Kotli and Tatrinote on the Pakistani side of the LoC to the Indian Poonch region of Jammu & Kashmir. It is a key cross-LoC commercial and travel route. On the Indian side, banking facilities and trade facilitation centres are being built for the advantage of traders.

Flag meetings between Indian and Pakistani security personnel. Commanders of both sides' forces meet at the border or on the Line of Control for these meetings. On smaller matters, a flag meeting can be held at the brigadier level. The meeting could be held at the general level if it is part of a bigger context.

Chilliana 

Between Muzaffarabad and Kupwara, the Teetwal bridge spans the Neelum River. It is normally only open during the summer months, and unlike the other two crossings, it is only open for passenger traffic, not for trade.

Patrolling Points at LAC

When resources were scarce in the 1970s, the PPs were established to make the best use of what was available. The PPs have been updated throughout time as the infrastructure has improved. Most PPs are near to the LAC, however in the Depsang plains area, despite being altered several times, the PPs are still well within. 

'Limits of patrolling' refer to PPs inside the LAC and the patrol routes that connect them. This is referred to as the "LAC within the LAC" or the "real LAC" by some army leaders. The 'lines of patrolling' refer to the numerous patrol routes that lead to the patrolling limits.

PPs 10 to 13, 14, 15, 17, and 17A were in question during the 2020 China–India clashes. "Since April, Indian forces have been refused entry to PPs number 9, 10, 11, 12, 12A, 13, 14, 15, 17, 17A," according to a story in The Hindu on September 18, 2020.