EVENTS

Since the 1950’s, writings on Sino-Indian relations and Sino-Indian border negotiations have always included the term ‘Line of Actual Control’ or LAC. The disputed boundary between India and China and their interface across the vaguely defined ‘frontier zone’ or ‘border areas’ hinges on differing understandings and interpretations of the boundary dispute by both sides. This Wednesday Seminar presentation attempts to de-mystify the term for the interested layperson as well as for those following the dispute closely, while presuming that the Indian Government agencies concerned, viz., the Ministry of External Affairs, the principal dealing agency, the Ministry of Defence, and the Ministry of Home Affairs, are clear in their understanding of what appears to be a nebulous concept in the public mind. Since there is no mutually-agreed India-China International Border except in Sikkim, the lack of widespread understanding in India regarding the true nature of the LAC as an interim framework or ‘notional border’ gives rise to grave apprehensions amongst the populace. There is also much ambiguity in the manner in which this dispute is communicated or conveyed by the concerned agencies. It is imperative that a correct understanding of what an LAC is and what it is not, should be grasped to enable us to proceed to the next level, i.e comprehending the Indian stance on the LAC, as also the implementation of the various interim accords with China on the maintenance of peace and tranquility in the China-India border areas. This talk will also examine two related queries that arise whenever the LAC between India and China is discussed: Is the LAC the cause of India-China frequent face-offs or is the LAC an invitation for frequent face-offs?

Speaker

Lt. Col. Gautam Das is a former Indian Army infantry officer who has served along the Sino-Indian Himalayan interface prior to China's occupation of Tibet in the 1950’s. He has dealt with the Indo-Tibet border zone on the General Staff of a Corps Headquarters in the western end of the Sino-Indian frontier, and also on the General Staff of the army’s Eastern Command Headquarters. During his service, he was tasked with briefing Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on the factual position concerning the McMahon Line in Arunachal Pradesh and its implications for India.

Discussant

Manoj Joshi is a Distinguished Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), a commentator and columnist specialising in national and international politics. A journalist with over three decades of experience, he has held editorial positions at The Times of India, Hindustan Times, India Today, Mail Today, and has been correspondents of The Financial Express and The Hindu. He has served as a member of the National Security Council’s Advisory Board and the Task Force on National Security chaired by Naresh Chandra. He is the author of two books on Kashmir. He has been a Visiting Professor at the SIS, JNU, as well as a Visiting Fellow at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University.

Chair

Alka Acharya is currently the Director of the Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi. She was previously Professor and Chairperson at the Centre for East Asian Studies (Chinese Studies), SIS JNU. Her current research focuses on India-China-Russia Trilateral Cooperation and comparing the Indian and Chinese strategies of regional engagement.

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