India-China LAC: Jaishankar defends buffer zones, says moratorium on patrolling can be revisited as situation demands

New Delhi: The moratorium on patrolling in the buffer zones created between February 2021 and September 2022 in some locations along the India-China Line of Actual Control to end the military stand-off “can be revisited as the situation demands”, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Jaishankar said that the deal clinched by New Delhi and Beijing on October 21 on patrolling arrangements in the Depsang and Demchok areas in eastern Ladakh had marked the completion of the disengagement (mutual withdrawal of frontline troops) from all the face-off points along the LAC. India would now focus on discussing with China the issue of de-escalation or withdrawal of the additional troops deployed by both sides in the ‘rear areas’ along the LAC.

“The next priority will be to consider de-escalation that would address the massing of troops along the LAC with associated accompaniments. It is also evident that the management of the border areas will require further attention in light of our recent experiences,” the external affairs minister said. He was making a statement in the Lok Sabha on India-China relations, particularly the recent developments, including the October 21 deal on Depsang and Demchok.

The October 21 deal allowed the Indian Army to resume patrolling in Depsang and Demchok, up to the points, which had been blocked by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army since the beginning of the military stand-off in April-May 2020. The deal also allowed the resumption of grazing by the citizens of India along the de facto boundary with China in the two areas. Just two days after New Delhi and Beijing clinched the deal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sideline of the BRICS summit at Kazan in Russia, for the first time after the Chinese PLA’s aggressive moves and the counter-deployment by the Indian Army had led to the stand-off in eastern Ladakh.

The latest deal, however, did not end the moratorium on patrolling in the buffer zones created along the LAC in Galwan Valley, on the northern and southern banks of Pangong Tso as well as in the Gogra and Hot Springs areas between February 2021 and September 2022. The government led by Bharatiya Janata Party in New Delhi drew flak from the opposition parties for agreeing with Beijing for the creation of the buffer zones. A section of military analysts also questioned the rationale of having a moratorium on patrolling despite China’s repeated moves to push the LAC westward into the territory of India.

Jaishankar on Tuesday avoided committing a timeline for lifting the moratorium on patrolling in the buffer zones previously agreed upon. He rather defended the creation of buffer zones in Galwan Valley, both banks of Pangong Tso, Gogra, and Hot Springs areas.

“In a few other places where friction occurred in 2020, steps of a temporary and limited nature were worked out, based on local conditions, to obviate the possibility of further friction. This, I must stress, applies to both sides and can be revisited as the situation demands. In that sense, our stance has been resolute and firm and serves our national interest fully,” he said.

The external affairs minister also said that the previous governments in New Delhi too had entered into such arrangements with Beijing.

“In the past, earlier Governments have agreed to a range of steps to defuse situations that have arisen at different times, including offers on our side to create de-militarized zones, limited non-patrolling zones, relocation or withdrawal of posts, disengagement of troops and dismantlement of structures,” he said in the Lok Sabha.

"Our relationship (the relations between India and China) had progressed in many domains but was obviously negatively affected by recent events. We are clear that the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in border areas is a pre-requisite for the development of our ties,” he said, adding that the conclusion of the disengagement phase would now allow the two sides to consider other aspects of the bilateral engagement in a calibrated manner, keeping our national security interests first and foremost”.

Jaishankar recalled that he and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a meeting on the sideline of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro last month and they agreed that the Special Representatives of both New Delhi and Beijing for negotiations to settle the boundary dispute as well as Indian foreign secretary and his Chinese equivalent would meet soon.