Explained: the difference between LOC and LAC

We have all seen media coverage of India’s borders: barbed wire fences, armoured cars, well-armed soldiers. Since mid-September 2021, we have been reading about Chinese infringement of the LOC and Chinese soldiers crossing the LAC into India. How does one know where a border line falls in absence of physical demarcations such as a fence along that line? Let’s find out.  

What is LOC? 
LOC stands for Line of Control. The LOC is a physically demarcated, military-marked or military supervised frontier of a country. Countries sharing that border are required to keep it secure and monitor it actively to prevent unlawful entry to either side. For example, the border separating India and Pakistan is called the LOC. There is a similar LOC between India and Bangladesh.  The state of Punjab is divided between India and Pakistan, so there it exists in both countries on either side of the LOC. The LOC applies to water bodies as well. River Brahmaputra is shared between Tibet, Bhutan, India and Bangladesh, with each country marking its LOC at parts of the river within its borders.  

What is LAC? 
LAC stands for the Line of Actual Control. An example is the frontier between India and China. This LAC came into force through a bilateral agreement in 1993, and is a military manned, politically-supported ide of a border, rather than one demarcated on a map. Since there is no clear settlement of land positions between these two countries, LACs remain as a source of trouble until an LOC can be established.  

Major difference between LOC and LAC  
Indian and Pakistan have been embroiled in border wars since independence. In 1972, the Shimla Agreement was drawn up between the two countries, where among other clauses, a commonly-agreed LOC was created. This was physically outlined on a map and signed by both armies' Director-General of Military Operations (DGMO), giving the map an international sanctity of a legitimate treaty. All maps anywhere in the world are supposed to follow this LOC. The LAC, on the other hand, is just a concept. The two nations did not agree on it formally, and it is neither drawn on a map nor demarcated through fencing.