Key differences between LAC and LOC, which is more dangerous | Explainer

Last update:23 October 2024, 16:30 IST

The key difference between LAC and LOC is that LAC has a buffer zone, while LOC is a more clearly defined and militarized border.

The Line of Control was restored through peace talks after the Shimla Agreement on July 3, 1972. (Representative/AP file)

The border dispute between India and China seems to be thawing with a recent agreement between the two countries on military disengagement and patrolling in LAC. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the armies of both countries will withdraw at two points in the LAC and patrols will resume.

In this context, it is essential to understand what LAC is and how it differs from LOC.

What is LAC?

LAC or the Line of Actual Control is the 4,057 km long border line between India and China. This line separates the area of ​​Jammu and Kashmir currently controlled by India and the Chinese-occupied region of Aksai Chin.

The LAC between India and China passes through Ladakh, Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. During the India-China war in 1962, the armies of both the neighboring countries were stationed on the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The Line of Actual Control (LAC) is divided into three parts. The first is the western region, with parts of Ladakh on the Indian side and Tibet and Xinjiang on the Chinese side. It should be noted that Galwan, where the recent clashes between the two neighboring countries took place in 2020, falls in this region.

The second is the central region, with parts of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh on the Indian side and the Tibet Autonomous Region on the Chinese side. The third is the eastern region, with Arunachal Pradesh on the Indian side and the Tibet Autonomous Region on the Chinese side.

After the 1962 war, the “Line of Actual Control” was originally named as the border of the Western Region. However, in the 1990s, the entire stretch of the India-China border came to be known as the LAC.

The term Line of Actual Control (LAC) gained legal recognition in agreements between India and China in 1993 and 1996. The 1996 agreement states: “No activity by either party shall continue beyond the Line of of real control…”

This suggests that the military of both countries will not proceed beyond the LAC. However, since there is no clear demarcation of the LAC, the armies of both countries often come face to face.

What is LOC?

LOC or the Line of Control is a 740 km long military line of control between India and Pakistan, which divides parts of Jammu and Kashmir between the two countries. On the Indian side of the LOC comes a part of Jammu and Kashmir. On the Pakistani side are the part of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK), Gilgit and Baltistan. This line of control was drawn in 1947 after the war between the two countries ended. The line is based on the state of control back then, which is pretty much the same even today.

After independence in 1947, the Pakistani army and tribal Pathans attacked various parts of Kashmir, and the Indian army had to take over the front. The Indian Army pushed back the Pakistani Army in the Kargil sector and reached beyond the Srinagar-Leh highway. Pakistan attacked again in 1965 but had to face defeat. After that, the situation remained the same until 1971.

After the Bangladesh war in 1971, Pakistan again attacked Kashmir. In this war, both countries captured each other’s places on both sides of the Line of Control. India reclaimed about 300 square miles of land from the northern part of the Line of Control in the Ladakh region. The Line of Control was restored through peace talks following the Shimla Agreement on 3 July 1972.

The biggest difference between LAC and LOC is that there is a buffer zone in LAC. The Indian and Chinese armies patrol their respective borders keeping a certain distance between them.

However, on the other hand, the armies of India and Pakistan stand face to face at all times on both sides of the LOC. Therefore, soldiers are frequently shot in the middle of repeated engagements.