Disengagement and De-escalation along the Line of Actual Control

Disengagement and De-escalation along the Line of Actual Control

Subject:Geography

Context: India and China have undertaken disengagement from Gogra area of eastern Ladakh following an agreement at the 12th round of Corps Commander talks, the Army said on Friday.

Context:

• The conflict on border started at Pangong Tso in May 2020. Later on, with talks going on the clashes between military happened at Galwan valley which claimed dead soldiers on both sides.
• Indian troops surprised the Chinese by occupying dominating heights on the south bank of Pangong Tso and in the larger Chushul sub-sector.
• Since then, many rounds of talks at different levels took place.
• Indian troops positioned themselves on Gurung Hill, Magar Hill, Mukhpari, Rechin La and Rezang La. They also have direct view of China’s Moldo Garrison, and the strategic Spanggur Gapwhich can be used to launch offensives — as the Chinese did in 1962.
• India and China share a 3,488 km long boundary. Unfortunately, the entire boundary is disputed. The line, which delineates the boundary between the two countries, is popularly called the McMahon line, after its author Sir Henry McMahon.
• Post-1962 war, the boundary came to be known as Line of Actual Control (LAC). It is a military held line.
• Gogra post is the second friction area from which disengagement has been carried out after Pangong Tso in Febrary as part of efforts for overall disengagement and deescalation along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh to end the standoff

Pangong Tso

• Pangong Tso is an endorheic lake (landlocked) that is partly in India’s Ladakh region and partly in Tibet.
• Nearly two-thirds of the lake is controlled by China, with just about 45 km under Indian control. The LAC, running north-south, cuts the western part of the lake, aligned east-west.
• Situated at an elevation of about 4,270 m, it is a nearly 135-km long, narrow lake — 6 km at its widest point — and shaped liked a boomerang
• The lake’s water, while crystal clear, is brackish, making it undrinkable. The lake freezes during the winter, allowing some vehicular movement on it as well.

Gogra Post

• Hot Springs is just north of the Chang Chenmo river and Gogra Post is east of the point where the river takes a hairpin bend coming southeast from Galwan Valley and turning southwest.
• The area is north of the Karakoram Range of mountains, which lies north of the Pangong Tso Lake, and south east of Galwan Valley.
• The area lies close to Kongka Pass, one of the main passes, which, according to China marks the boundary between India and China.
• Hot Springs and Gogra Post are close to the boundary between two of the most historically disturbed provinces (Xinjiang and Tibet) of China.