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Gen. Malik: Be wary of buffer zones at friction points, PLA can intrude again

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Former Indian Army Chief Gen. Ved Prakash Malik (Retd) warned on Sunday that the creation of buffer zones at the friction points at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in Ladakh is “no guarantee that the PLA will not transgress hereafter”.

He said there was no need to make much of the ongoing disengagement with China at Patrolling Point-15 in Gogra-Hot

Springs and pointed out that major friction areas, Depsang and Demchok, where five patrolling points are still blocked by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, are yet to be resolved. “No need to make much of LAC disengagement at PP-15 in Gogra-Hot Springs. A tiny step in post-April 2020 PLA encroachments. Every disengagement taken longer and longer time. The major friction areas, Depsang and Demchok, where five PPs are blocked, yet to be resolved,” Gen. Malik tweeted. He said that China continues to maintain that the LAC “was illegally crossed by India”.

“Also, no patrolling/ buffer Z no guarantee that PLA will not transgress hereafter. It exploited similar situations in Asaphila and Bisa in 1987. Non-physical surveillance must continue,” said Gen. Malik.

He said that China was hoping that such small steps will enable IndiaChina relations to get back on the old track. “India must continue with its demand for the status quo ante before any substantive talks on trade and other issues,” added Gen. Malik.

India and China had on Thursday announced that troops from both sides had begun disengagement from the Gogra-Hot Springs area (Patrolling Point-15) in the Ladakh sector “in a coordinated and planned way” after nearly 28 months of the military standoff at the friction point. The disengagement process is expected to be completed by Monday.

The announcement came nearly a year after both sides had disengaged from another standoff at Patrolling Point 17A in Gogra in the same sector. Since the standoff began in April 2020 between the two countries, disengagement has been achieved in Galwan, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A) and now Gogra-Hot Springs general area (Patrolling Point-15).

In all these friction points, a buffer zone has been set up where troops from both sides cannot patrol. However, there are no signs of any de-escalation at the LAC as China has amassed a large number of troops and heavy weaponry at forward posts. It has also built new military bases at all along the LAC and has set up new airfields for its fighter aircraft and helicopters in forward positions. India has deployed around 50,000 troops in the Ladakh sector to deal with any aggression by the PLA. The tensions are likely to persist in the sector till China pulls back all its troops it had suddenly brought to the forward areas in April-May 2020.
 

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