India seeks clarification on LAC alignment to avert future flashpoints with China

India has stressed on clarifying its Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China to avert future flashpoints along the disputed boundary during its recent engagements with the neighbouring communist country to defuse tension in eastern Ladakh.

New Delhi conveyed to Beijing that while the negotiation to resolve the dispute along the entire stretch of the boundary would go on and take long to reach a conclusion, it was important for the border guards and soldiers of Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to have a clear understanding of where the LAC lied, sources told the DH.

Read: Indian, Chinese troops begin disengagement in certain areas in eastern Ladakh: Sources

With no settled border between the two nations, the LAC in the Western Sector and the McMahon Line in the Eastern Sector serve as the de facto boundary between the two nations.

The two sides, however, have mutually conflicting perceptions about the alignment of both the lines, which often lead to soldiers of the Indian Army and the PLA transgressing the LAC into each other’s territory.

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During recent diplomatic engagements to defuse tension along the disputed boundary on the northern bank of the Pangong Tso lake in eastern Ladakh, New Delhi conveyed to Beijing that the two sides should first work together clearing doubts and narrowing differences on the alignment of the LAC and the McMahon Line, sources said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh recently told a TV channel that differing perceptions about the LAC had often resulted in transgressions by both Indian and Chinese soldiers.

Also Read: Will not allow India's pride and self-respect to be hurt: Rajnath Singh on eastern Ladakh row

New Delhi has also asked Beijing to ensure that the PLA strictly adheres to the “strategic guidance” Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping of the two nations had agreed to issue to their militaries during their “informal summits” in April 2018 and October 2019.