No buffer zones on LAC, clarifies Army Chief Gen Dwivedi

New Delhi (India), January 13 : Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi on Monday said that the situation along the border with China was "stable but sensitive", while asserting that there were no buffer zones on the Line of Actual Control even as the two sides are looking towards resolving their boundary issues.
In his annual Army Day press conference, Gen Dwivedi also pointed out that the Army Headquarters has empowered the Corps Commanders to deal with trivial issues on their own to avoid making them a big issue.
"It is stable but sensitive. There have been a series of meetings. Even the Prime Minister has met the Chinese head...Coming on to Depsang and Demchok, April 2029 onwards, both sides had moved forward and stopped the other side from going to the traditional areas where they were carrying out the patrolling," he said while answering queries from ANI.
Giving details of the ongoing efforts to resolve the border issues, he said, as far as verification patrolling, two rounds have already been completed by both sides over a period of time and both are quite satisfied about it. As far as the grazing ground is concerned, they have now mutually agreed upon," he said.
On the issue of buffer zones, he said, "There is nothing called a buffer zone...Where you feel that the nature or the degree of violence can be high and the fuse is short, you create some distance. So when we carried out these negotiations over a period of time, some places were declared as a temporary moratorium. It means that both sides will remain back and will not go to the common areas because we still feel that if we meet at those places, the violence level may go high."
The Army Chief said that after April 20, the trust level between the two countries has to have a new definition. "Therefore, there is a requirement for us to sit together and thereafter come to a broader understanding of how we want to calm down the situation and restore the trust. We are now looking forward to the next special representatives meeting, which should take place," Gen Dwivedi said.
In October last year, India and China reached an agreement regarding patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the India-China border areas.
The border standoff between India and China began in eastern Ladakh along the LAC in 2020, and was sparked by Chinese military actions. It led to prolonged tensions between the two nations, significantly straining their relations.
During the meeting of Prime Minister Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit held in Kazan, Russia last year, PM Modi said that maintaining peace and stability on the border should remain the priority of the two countries and mutual trust should remain the basis of bilateral ties.