PATROLLING POINTS (PPs)

July 10, 2020

The standoffs between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), where initial steps towards disengagement have taken place, are around a number of patrolling points (PPs) in Galwan, Hot Springs and Gogra areas.

About:

What are they? Patrolling Points (PPs) are identified and marked on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), which are patrolled with a stipulated frequency by the security forces.
Significance: They serve as a guide to the location of the LAC for the soldiers, acting as indicators of the extent of ‘actual control’ exercised on the territory by India. By regularly patrolling up to these PPs, the Indian side is able to establish and assert its physical claim about the LAC.
Not all of the Patrolling Points are numbered. Some of the PPs are prominent and identifiable geographical features, such as a pass, or a nala junction where no numerals are given.
Almost all of the Patrolling Points are on the LAC, except for the Depsang plains in northern Ladakh, where PP10, PP11, PP11A, PP12 and PP13 – from Raki Nala to Jivan Nala – do not fall on the LAC. These are short of the LAC, on the Indian side.
The PPs are not posts and thus not manned. They are just physical markers on the ground, chosen for their location and have no defensive potential or tactical importance for the Army.