Dehradun, Uttarakhand: Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, emphasised the unique strategic and civilizational importance of the Himalayas while addressing the Bharat Himalayan Strategy Forum (BHISM) here on Friday.

"Himalayas have functioned more as a zone of interaction, rather than a border of exclusion... Uttarakhand is a civilisation landscape, where the sacred and the strategic have been coexisting for ages... The right place, actually, to have a think tank like BHISM, because in Dehradun, it is uniquely positioned to develop static thought that is terrain conscious, system oriented, and long horizon in its character," he said.

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Speaking on India-China historical relations, Gen. Chauhan added, "On independence, the British left, and it was for India, actually, to decide where a front is. Nehru probably knew that we had something, as the McMahon Line was in the east, and we had some kind of a claim in the Ladakh area, but it was not here. So that's why he wanted to go in for a Panchsheel agreement, and for the Chinese also. When they had kind of liberated Tibet, they had moved into Lhasa... This particular area was extreme at both ends. So they wanted stability, probably, in this particular region... Independent India was keen to build a good relationship with China... In 1954, India recognised Tibet as part of China. Both countries signed the Panchsheel Agreement."

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Gen. Chauhan also explained the difference between borders and frontiers, saying, "Borders are identified by a line on a particular map, as well as on the ground, whereas a frontier is an area or a zone that is diffused and generic in nature... A border is a concept that separates two nation-states, whereas the frontier is a meeting point of two civilisations. Borders define the political and legal limits of a nation. A frontier may be based on political factors. Borders, being political entities, are well guarded; they are well defended. Whereas frontiers, because of the ruggedness, may not be well guarded. A border is agreed to between two nation-states through formal documentation. A frontier is generally through customs, traditions, and usage."

The forum was hosted at Uttarakhand’s Lok Bhavan and was attended by Governor Lt. Gen. Gurmeet Singh. The Governor inaugurated the Bhishma website during the event, which began with a traditional lamp-lighting ceremony.