Early disengagement & de-escalation along LAC will reduce chances of fresh clashes: Narasimhan

The current India-China negotiations for disengagement along the Line of Actual Control are time- and effort-consuming, but the disengagement from the friction points followed by de-escalation will definitely reduce the chances of fresh clashes, Lt Gen (retd) SL Narasimhan, director-general of the foreign ministry’s think tank on China and a member of the National Security Advisory Board, told ET.

“While one would like complete disengagement from all friction points, the disengagement from Pangong Tso is a first step and a positive sign. However, disengagement from other friction points need to be negotiated patiently and firmly which I am sure is being done. It is difficult to give a timeframe for such negotiations, but sooner the better,” said Narasimhan, who also heads the ministry’s Centre for Contemporary Chinese Studies.

Narasimhan made the remarks even as China’s People’s Liberation Army shows no sign of early disengagement from the friction points, even after one year of the build up by it along the LAC. “One is confident that the Indian armed forces will be watching the LAC very carefully to avoid and prevent any clash,” said Narasimhan, who had previously served as the defence attaché in the Indian Embassy in Beijing.

The events of the summer of 2020 on the LAC have affected the mutual trust very badly and it will take some time and great effort to get the bilateral relations back into shape, Narasimhan said, when asked about the future of India-China ties. “In any case, peace and tranquillity along the LAC will be a prerequisite for any improvement in the India-China relations.”

The economic partnership has also suffered ever since the PLA decided to mobilise its men along the LAC. When asked about the economic interdependence and red lines in that partnership, the senior official said: “There are certain interdependencies in the economic relations between India and China. It is presumed that those will continue for some time till we build our capacities and capabilities. However, if any of those economic activities impinge on India’s security and sovereignty those will be the red lines.”

Indian Army chief General MM Naravane had recently stated that the Indian troops were on high alert at the LAC and were keeping a close watch on the activities of the PLA. He had said deployments had not thinned after the disengagement in the Pangong Lake.

Gen Naravane stated that India had made it clear to China that de-escalation would only be considered once disengagement was completed to the satisfaction of both sides. The army chief maintained that China had troops in Eastern Ladakh in immediate depth.