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                        <title>The Express Tribune</title>
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			<title>On this day four years ago: Gayari avalanche strikes Pakistan Army base in Siachen</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1080476/on-this-day-four-years-ago-gayari-avalanche-strikes-pakistan-army-base-in-siachen</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/1080476/on-this-day-four-years-ago-gayari-avalanche-strikes-pakistan-army-base-in-siachen#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 07 Apr 16 12:07:28 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Murtaza Abbas]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=1080476</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[People take to Twitter to remember the courage and sacrifices of Pakistan's armed forces]]>
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				<![CDATA[Four years ago on this day, 135 people, including 124 soldiers and 11 civilians, were killed when an avalanche hit the military headquarters in Gayari sector, Siachen.

The brave soldiers guarding the border region at an altitude of about 16,000 feet were silenced and buried under 70 feet of snow on the morning of April 7, 2012, making it the worst avalanche that Pakistani military has ever experienced.

Today, on the fourth anniversary of the incident, people took to Twitter to remember the courage and sacrifices of Pakistan's armed forces with the hashtag, #RememberingGyariMartyrs, trending across the country.

Siachen avalanche: Pakistan Army offers to help rescue missing Indian soldiers

https://twitter.com/ashiazan/status/718014126845509634

https://twitter.com/HamzaAfzal112/status/718009335490719745

https://twitter.com/Akxpert/status/718003397119619072

https://twitter.com/FarhanKVirk/status/717971658351452160

The incident prompted a rescue mission whereby troops with sniffer dogs, aided by helicopters, frantically tried to find signs of life in the deep snow after the avalanche engulfed the camp.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="640"] PHOTO: REUTERS[/caption]

Basit calls for Siachen standoff resolution

Doctors and paramedics also rushed to the high-altitude militarised region, where temperatures usually plummet to minus 70 degrees Celsius.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="640"] PHOTO: REUTERS[/caption]

After more than a year long search, former Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani announced on October 3, 2013 that 133 bodies had been recovered. Kayani also said the entire nation stands by the armed forces of Pakistan in performing their sacred obligation of defence of the country.

He also thanked the nation for its prayers and complete support to the Pakistan Army.

A list of the martyrs buried under the snow can be found here.]]>
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			<title>Tribute to Gayari sector martyrs</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/533200/tribute-to-gayari-sector-martyrs</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/533200/tribute-to-gayari-sector-martyrs#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 09 Apr 13 16:40:15 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[letter.]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=533200</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[One year has passed but only a few of our television channels presented any tribute to the brave martyrs.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The morning of April 7, 2012 turned out to be one of deep grief for the whole of Pakistan. More than 100 soldiers embraced martyrdom as an avalanche hit the military headquarters in the Gayari sector in Siachen. Temperatures in the area approach minus 70 degrees Celsius and in those harsh conditions, our beloved and brave soldiers were buried under 70 feet of snow.
One year has passed since this shocking and sad incident occurred, but only a few of our television channels presented any tribute to these brave martyrs. These soldiers, who worked to protect the country from its enemies without thinking for a second about their own safety or that of their families, deserved much better.
Yasir Feroz
Published in The Express Tribune, April 10th, 2013.]]>
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			<title>Students personify, pay tribute to victims of Gyari avalanche</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/398256/students-personify-pay-tribute-to-victims-of-gyari-avalanche</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/398256/students-personify-pay-tribute-to-victims-of-gyari-avalanche#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 24 Jun 12 06:16:21 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[shabbir.mir]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Gilgit Baltistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=398256</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Play articulated with scenes depicting lives of solders, their loves ones - breathing life into poignant tale.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Audience were moved by the performances of students on Saturday as they paid homage to the solders and civilians who were killed in Gyari two months back.


On a stage decorated with murals of soldiers in the snowy peaks of Siachen, the students of Public School and College (PSC) Jutial enacted the lives of the 139 soldiers and 11 civilians who were buried under the massive avalanche.

The play was articulated with scenes depicting the lives of the solders and those of their loves ones - breathing life into the poignant tale. In groups, the students personified the soldiers as well as their families, starting from the time that the soldiers were deputed at Gyari. The students made an effort to substantiate the feelings of the victims’ families.

Under harsh climatic conditions, more than 400 rescue workers are still engaged in digging out the bodies from the 13,000-feet-high Gyari sector of Siachen.

Apart from the play, students also delivered speeches highlighting sacrifices being made by army to defend the soil from internal and external threats.

The play was organised by PSC Jutial in its auditorium and was attended by Colonel Staff Tahir Mehmood Wafai, Principal Javaid Aslam, parents, students and faculty members.

“It was quite a performance; I couldn’t keep myself from crying,” said the mother of one of the students who performed in the play.

The chief guest, Col Staff Tahir Mehmood, expressed gratitude to the students and the school management for the tribute. “I have seen many performances of students before but this one was exceptional,” he said. The colonel said the army soldier would defend every inch of its country at all costs and under all circumstances.

The school principal, Aslam, said that over 70 per cent of the institute’s alumni are serving as senior officials of Gilgit-Baltistan administration. He said the school’s success is a collaborative effort of it students, faculty and administration, adding that the school provides quality education as well as extracurricular activities. PSC Jutial was established in 1980.

Published In The Express Tribune, June 24th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Avalanche victims: Senate committee pays tribute to the martyrs of Siachen</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/394967/avalanche-victims-senate-committee-pays-tribute-to-the-martyrs-of-siachen</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/394967/avalanche-victims-senate-committee-pays-tribute-to-the-martyrs-of-siachen#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 17 Jun 12 04:15:24 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[sumera.khan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=394967</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Defence Committee visits families of victims of Giari.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Senate Standing Committee on Defence and Defence Production Chairman Senator Mushahid Husain visited the families of the Giari avalanche victims along with other members of parliament on Friday.


The senator offered condolences to the families of Lt Col Tanvirul Hassan and Naik Ansar Mahmud, two of the soldiers buried under an avalanche at the base camp in April.

This marked the first visit by a parliamentary delegation to the ancestral homes of the Giari victims to express solidarity with the victims’ families.

Committee members were informed by the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations, that a total of 13 soldiers’ bodies have been recovered in Giari thus far, and that the a search and clearance operation is making progress.

Flanked by Senator Farhatullah Babar and Senator Sehar Kamran, Husain said the entire nation was proud of its soldiers, who lost their lives guarding the country’s frontiers at Siachen.

Babar conveyed President Zardari’s sentiments to the soldiers’ families. “The sacrifices of the brave soldiers will not go in vain and the entire nation is proud of its armed forces.”

The parliamentary delegation also visited Lt Col Hassan’s home in Moza Wa’ala and conveyed their condolences to the family.

Senator Kamran promised to construct a school and a dispensary in the village to provide health and education facilities to residents at their doorstep. Additionally, she promised to arrange Hajj for two family members of the deceased officer.

Senator Husain added that the defence committee of the Senate had decided to arrange events on the graves of the martyred soldiers on Defence day, September 6, to acknowledge the sacrifices of the armed forces as a tribute.

The members of the committee also visited the grave of Col Tanvirul Hassan and offered fateha for the departed soul.

PPP Senator and Presidential Spokesperson Farhatullah Babar added that all possible resources, including over 300 troops, 48 engineering plants and five dewatering pumps are working around the clock at the site. Snow melting vehicles have also been employed in the operation.

Published In The Express Tribune, June 17th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Wasting resources on Siachen</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/393115/wasting-resources-on-siachen</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/393115/wasting-resources-on-siachen#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 13 Jun 12 18:03:50 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[editorial]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Editorial]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=393115</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[A withdrawal from Siachen would free some of that money to be spent on more worthwhile endeavours.]]>
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				<![CDATA[When an avalanche killed over 100 Pakistani soldiers in Siachen, there was hope that the one silver lining to emerge from the tragedy would be a realisation that fighting on the highest battlefield in the world was doing neither country any good. That hope only intensified when the PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif called for a withdrawal of troops from Siachen. With ties between India and Pakistan steadily improving, there were great expectations that talks between the defence secretaries of both countries would take place on the issue. It proved to be a false dawn. The two-day talks in Islamabad ended without any progress, with both sides simply agreeing to discuss the matter further.

Everyone knows that more troops in Siachen die because of the weather conditions than in combat. The strategic importance of Siachen is sometimes downplayed as the area is important for determining who controls water resources in case of war, but this in no way justifies the occupation of the glacier. At a time when there are hopes that outstanding issues like Kashmir may finally be nearing a solution, this stalemate has thrown cold water on such a desire. If an issue like Siachen cannot be resolved, then what hope is there for lasting peace between the two countries?

The peace process has been a case of two steps forward and then one step back. Just when it seems like breakthroughs are possible on issues like a relaxed visa regime, one of the two countries refuses to give its assent. Regrettably, in the talks over the visa regime and Siachen, it seems like India was less willing to make concessions. As the more powerful side, India often feels the need to flex its muscles. Lasting peace will bring economic and political benefits to both countries as they already spend far too much of their budgets on defence. A withdrawal from Siachen would free some of that money to be spent on more worthwhile endeavours.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 14th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Siachen tragedy: Rescuers recover 3 more bodies</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/391655/siachen-tragedy-rescuers-recover-3-more-bodies</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/391655/siachen-tragedy-rescuers-recover-3-more-bodies#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 10 Jun 12 14:35:16 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=391655</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[According to ISPR, 13 bodies have been recovered so far, four are yet to be identified.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Rescue teams have been making rapid progress recently at Gayari sector, Siachen with three more bodies being recovered on Sunday, Express News reported.

According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), 13 bodies have been recovered so far since rescue operations began after an avalanche buried 140 people, including 129 soldiers and 11 civilian employees, in the late hours of April 7, 2012.

Four bodies are yet to be identified.

Earlier on May 29, the army had declared the soldiers and civilians as martyrs after 52 days, since the avalanche.

More than 450 rescuers, including foreign teams, have been working in sub-zero temperatures at the site. Rescuers have dug tunnels into the mass of snow and ice.

The army has vowed to continue the operation until all the bodies are recovered.]]>
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			<title>Indian defence minister rules out Siachen breakthrough</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/390786/indian-defence-minister-rules-out-siachen-breakthrough</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/390786/indian-defence-minister-rules-out-siachen-breakthrough#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 08 Jun 12 15:18:41 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Aditi Phadnis]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=390786</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[AK Antony cautions India against expecting any breakthrough during defence secretaries meeting in Islamabad in June.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Virtually dismissing overtures made by Pakistan for a peaceful resolution of the Siachen issue, Indian Defence Minister AK Antony on Friday cautioned India against expecting any breakthrough when defence secretaries meet in Islamabad later in June.

Antony said “no dramatic announcement or decision” should be expected, thereby by virtually dismissing any hope that the meeting offered.

“Don’t expect dramatic announcement or decision on an issue which is very very important for us, especially in the context of national security... From one discussion, you can’t expect a dramatic announcement,” Antony said.

Interacting with reporters, Antony said Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma will explain India’s stand during the talks with Pakistan.

India’s Cabinet Committee on Security met on Thursday and discussed the Siachen issue. The gist wast that the stumbling blocks remain the same: authentication of the current military positions of the two sides.

Earlier this year, Pakistan Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani had said there should be a peaceful resolution of the Siachen issue, which had risen hopes that a negotiated settlement to demilitarise the area might be on the anvil. However, India, which had initially welcomed Kayani's comments, sought authentication of military positions to which Pakistan was opposed to.

During a visit to Siachen in 2005, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said that the two countries should work to convert the highest battlefield into a mountain of peace.

The Siachen troop withdrawal issue has gained prominence in Pakistan following a massive avalanche which buried an entire Pakistan army forward operating base on April 7, resulting in the death of 129 soldiers and 11 civilian contractors.

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Siachen avalanche tragedy: Rescuers recover Major’s body from Giari’s rubble</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/388405/siachen-avalanche-tragedy-rescuers-recover-major%e2%80%99s-body-from-giari%e2%80%99s-rubble</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/388405/siachen-avalanche-tragedy-rescuers-recover-major%e2%80%99s-body-from-giari%e2%80%99s-rubble#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 04 Jun 12 04:12:34 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[sumera.khan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=388405</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Maj Zakaul Haq was second-in command of the Six Northern Light Infantry battalion.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The number of bodies found from the Giari avalanche site has risen to four after rescuers recovered another officer’s body on Sunday.


According to the statement issued by the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the body has been identified as Major Zakaul Haq.

Haq, second-in command of the Six Northern Light Infantry battalion serving in the Giari sector in Siachen, was trapped under the snowy rubble along 137 others – of which 127 were soldiers and 11 civilian employees – after a huge wall of snow smashed their headquarters in the late hours of April 7, 2012.

When contacted by The Express Tribune, the family of the late soldier was relieved after authorities confirmed that they had found his body. Holding back tears, Zaka’s father, Sardar Abdul Haq Chandio, remained steadfast in his support for the Pakistan Army and said: “I am proud of the soldiers who rendered their lives in Siachen along with Zaka and are still standing firm on the highest war front. My message for all of my sons who are vigilant in the line of duty is to not lose heart as the lesson you were given from the Pakistan Military Academy was to embrace martyrdom.”

The fallen officer’s father, who belongs to Muzaffargarh in Punjab, had earlier accompanied Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani to the Giari sector on May 3 where he insisted Gen Kayani declare the men martyrs.

The Pakistan Army declared the victims of Giari ‘martyrs’ on May 29 after having detailed consultations with religious scholars.

Zaka’s brother, Ziaul Haq expressed his grief over the demise of his brother and said that they were extremely lucky to have someone like Zaka in their family. Zia added that his brother’s favourite quotation was: “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things: and good things never die...”

“We will keep respecting and loving the Pakistani armed forces… We have been told by the army that they will always stand by us and my parents will never break this bond with the army.”

Zia said that military officials will reach Muzaffargarh  on Monday to take part in major Zaka’s funeral.

According to the announcement made by the COAS, the search and rescue operation will continue until the very last body is recovered from under the snow.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 4th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Egos, armies of India, Pakistan biggest hurdle to Siachen peace: Mukhtar</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/388052/egos-armies-of-india-pakistan-biggest-hurdle-to-siachen-peace-mukhtar</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/388052/egos-armies-of-india-pakistan-biggest-hurdle-to-siachen-peace-mukhtar#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 02 Jun 12 22:50:10 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=388052</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Mukhtar says Pakistan expects India to demonstrate magnanimity by making the first move.]]>
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				<![CDATA[With Pakistan Army Chief having recently stated that Pakistan wants a resolution to the Siachen issue, Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar pointed out to BBC Urdu that the biggest hurdle in resolving the icy issue were armies of both Pakistan and India. 

In an interview to the Urdu-language version of the British news service, Mukhtar said that both Pakistan and India would stand to benefit from resolving the Siachen issue.

In response to a question, he said reminded that Siachen was Pakistan territory and when India claimed it was theirs, Pakistan responded. However, he said that the only way to coexist was to sit at the table, discuss the matter. He pointed out that neither Pakistan nor India stood to gain anything from the stand-off on world's highest battleground, rather it more to satiate respective egos. However, it remains to be seen what does this cost both sides.

"We think we can come to an agreement. India wants to talk on the Sir Creek issue first, we want to talk about Siachen first - the same issue of egos."

"I think Chief of Army Staff Ashfaq Pervez Kayani understands this issue better than all of us and will help reach a decision when the time comes."

When asked that he, being the Minister for Defence, was higher placed than the Army Chief, would he then allow a rank subordinate to take a decision, Mukhtar said that 'Kayani would offer guidance - support, just as the government cooperates and supports the army.'

When asked if Pakistan wants a solution, why does it not make the first move (withdraw unilaterally), Mukhtar responded that India was a big country, and Pakistan expects that it would demonstrate magnanimity by making the first move.

In response to another question, he said that Prime Ministers of both countries, Yousaf Raza Gilani of Pakistan, and Manmohan Singh of India, wanted to resolve the Siachen issue via dialogue.

When asked that since the governements of both India and Pakistan wanted a resolution, what was stopping them, the Defence Minister smiled and said that the hurdles were in what had been talked about earlier, the armies of both countries.]]>
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			<title>Siachen tragedy: With hopes crushed, soldier’s widow seeks reason</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/386660/siachen-tragedy-with-hopes-crushed-soldier%e2%80%99s-widow-seeks-reason</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/386660/siachen-tragedy-with-hopes-crushed-soldier%e2%80%99s-widow-seeks-reason#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 31 May 12 04:06:13 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[zulfiqar.ali]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[K-P]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=386660</guid>
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				<![CDATA[Sughran Bibi only has one question: What exactly did her husband die for?]]>
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				<![CDATA[Sughran Bibi lost her voice the moment she heard about the possible death of her husband, Muhammad Riaz.

With the radio blasting the news of the avalanche in Siachen and the entire house crying out her husband’s name, a stunned Sughran just fell to the ground.

But with her voice back, albeit weak, she only has one question: What exactly did her husband die for?

Married for only a year and a half, Riaz was one of the 129 soldiers and 11 civilians martyred when a glacier hit the Giari sector in Siachen where they were deployed on April 7, 2012.

Sughran, 25, hardly got to spend any time with Riaz. “I have lost all hope. Riaz is dead; we used to talk on the phone with each other once a week and now I don’t hear his voice at all,” she shared with The Express Tribune.

She is also five months pregnant with his child.

Now, every time a journalist visits her, she wants to know what the Siachen dispute is about and what her husband died for.

The morning after the radio broadcast, Riaz’s brother, Muhammad Tariq, contacted the telephone exchange set up in Giari, which confirmed that Riaz was on duty when the glacier hit. Riaz’s father, Allah Dad Khan, 66, is also devastated by the loss of his son, “a person of soft temper and kind hearted.” He added that he now constantly worries about the future of Sughran.

The family lives in a small mud house located on top of the Agaz Khel Mountains , near Dera Ismail khan.

Agaz Khel is a small village where people mostly earn a living through their cattle. “Sughran along with other members of the family used to take care of seven cows, and 19 goats.  She was so active but now she is in depression,” Allah Dad told The Express Tribune.

For Riaz’s mother Bakhturah Bibi, 62, she says she only finds peace in knowing that her other son is retiring from the army soon and will move back with them. “The void left by Riaz’s death will be filled by him,” she said, adding that learning of her son’s death nearly killed her.

Riaz joined Pakistan Army in 2005 and after training in Gilgit, he was sent to Wana, South Waziristan. He was also deployed in Liberia, before being shifted to Siachen.

With the voices of their loved-ones forever muted, many other victims’ family members, like Sughran, are now in search for another voice to tell them that their husbands, brothers, fathers or sons did not die in vain.

Martyred soldier Rashid
laid to rest 

Meanwhile, one of the 140 martyred victims of the avalanche, 25-year-old Muhammad Rashid, was laid to rest in his village Pattan Sheir Khan, Palandri district of Azad Kashmir.

“The body of the martyred soldier arrived in his ancestral village where the he was laid to rest with full state military honour at about 12:30 am on Wednesday”, a police official said. The soldier left behind two children and a wife, Majid Hussain, Rashid’s close friend and neighbor told The Express Tribune.

“Rashid joined the army about seven years ago and was recently posted at Giari sector at Siachen,” said Hussain.

(WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY OUR CORRESPONDENT IN MIRPUR)

Published in The Express Tribune, May 31st, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Siachen avalanche tragedy: After 52 days, army declares trapped soldiers martyrs</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/386020/siachen-avalanche-tragedy-after-52-days-army-declares-trapped-soldiers-martyrs</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/386020/siachen-avalanche-tragedy-after-52-days-army-declares-trapped-soldiers-martyrs#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 30 May 12 04:29:24 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=386020</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[So far, only three of 140 bodies have been recovered.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Fifty-two days a huge wall of snow slammed into an army camp in the Giari sector of Siachen Glacier, Pakistan Army declared as martyrs 140 soldiers and civilians trapped underneath the avalanche.


According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Tuesday, “It has been decided to declare the remaining brave soldiers as shuhada (martyrs)” to try to reduce the families’ suffering.

“This is being done with mixed feelings of pride, grief and, above all, unflinching resolve to continue all-out efforts to recover the bodies of all shuhada,” it added.

A huge avalanche crashed into the remote Siachen Glacier base high in the mountains in the early hours of April 7, trapping 129 soldiers and 11 civilian contractors.

Despite the resolve of troops employed on search operations, excavation work is taking time due to constraints imposed by the harsh terrain and weather.

Only three bodies have so far been recovered from the site.

“The nature and magnitude of the calamity is suggestive of no probability of recovering any person alive. In this backdrop, religious leaders of prominence from all sects and factions were consulted. Aspects related to socio-religious dimensions/implications, requirements to initiate the process of documentation, and reduction of the sufferings of the bereaved families have been evaluated in detail,” ISPR’s statement added.

A search and rescue operation, launched by the army immediately after the tragedy, met relative success on its 50th day (May 27) when the body of one soldier, identified as Mohammad Hussain, was recovered.

More than 450 rescuers, including foreign teams, have been working in sub-zero temperatures at the site.

Rescuers have dug tunnels into the mass of snow and ice that hit the battalion headquarters of the 6th Northern Light Infantry to try to recover the bodies.

The site is 13,000 feet up in the mountains, just below the glacier where Pakistani and Indian troops have faced off since the 1980s.

The Siachen issue was part of the agenda when President Asif Ali Zardari visited India last month to hold an informal meeting with Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. Media reports suggested that the two sides are looking into prospects of declaring the glacier as a military-free zone.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Siachen tragedy: Army declares buried troops dead after 52 days</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/385741/pakistan-declares-buried-troops-dead-after-52-days</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/385741/pakistan-declares-buried-troops-dead-after-52-days#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 29 May 12 07:04:15 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=385741</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Military declares soldiers as martyrs due to improbability of recovering anyone alive; consulted religious leaders.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan on Tuesday declared dead 140 people buried alive by a huge avalanche in Gayari more than seven weeks ago.

A huge wall of snow crashed into Siachen Glacier base high in the mountains in disputed Kashmir in the early hours of April 7, smothering an area of one square kilometre (a third of a square mile).

Only three bodies have so far been recovered from the remote glacier, dubbed the world's highest battleground, despite desperate rescue efforts assisted by foreign teams, including from the United States.

The military said that given the improbability of recovering anyone alive, and after consulting religious leaders, "it has been decided to declare the remaining brave soldiers as 'shuhada' (martyrs)" to try to reduce the families' suffering.

"This is being done with mixed feelings of pride, grief and above all unflinching resolve to continue all out efforts to recover the bodies of all shuhada," the military said in a statement posted on its website.

Rescuers have dug tunnels into the mass of snow and ice that hit the battalion headquarters of the 6th Northern Light Infantry to try to recover the bodies of 129 soldiers and 11 civilians at the Gayari camp.

The site is 4,000 metres (13,000 feet) up in the mountains, just below the glacier where Pakistani and Indian troops have faced off since the 1980s.

Kashmir has been the cause of two wars between India and Pakistan and the nuclear-armed rivals fought over Siachen in 1987, though guns on the glacier have largely fallen silent since a peace process began in 2004.]]>
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			<title>Avalanche tragedy: Rescuers find two more bodies at Giari</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/385171/avalanche-tragedy-rescuers-find-two-more-bodies-at-giari</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/385171/avalanche-tragedy-rescuers-find-two-more-bodies-at-giari#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 28 May 12 04:17:49 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=385171</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Funeral prayers for Muhammad Hussain offered near Skardu.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Rescuers have recovered two more bodies on the 51st day of the rescue operation at Giari where an avalanche buried 139 people at a high-altitude army camp more than seven weeks ago, the military said on Sunday.

According to the military’s media wing, a NADRA team has arrived in Skardu to help identify the bodies.

Meanwhile, the funeral prayers for sepoy Muhammad Hussain, whose body was found a day earlier, were offered with full military honours in Stak Chan village near Skardu.

One of the recovered bodies has been identified as sepoy Rashid’s. He hailed from Pulandri area of Azad Kashmir, according to the ISPR.

A huge wall of snow crashed into the remote Siachen Glacier base in the early hours of April 7, smothering an area of one square kilometre.

Rescuers have been digging in tunnels in the hard mass of snow and ice that hit the battalion headquarters of the 6th Northern Light Infantry to try to recover the bodies of the 129 soldiers and 11 civilians buried.

“The body of one more soldier was found today from the avalanche site. It was recovered from a place which is very close to a site from where the first body was found yesterday,” the military said in a statement.

A third body spotted in the same area was also being recovered, the military added.

Several foreign teams have visited the site, which is 4,000 metres up in the mountains, to assist the rescue efforts.

(WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM AFP, APP)

Published in The Express Tribune, May 28th, 2012.]]>
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			</item><item>
			<title>Siachen tragedy: Rescue teams recover second body</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/384911/siachen-tragedy-rescue-teams-recover-second-body</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/384911/siachen-tragedy-rescue-teams-recover-second-body#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 27 May 12 14:56:14 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=384911</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Identi­ficati­on proces­s underw­ay. Two bodies have been found so far in the same locati­on.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Rescue teams in Gayari sector, Siachen recovered the body of one more soldier on Sunday, Express News reported. This is the second body after soldier Mohammad Hussain's was recovered late Saturday night. 

According to Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR), the identity of the soldier could not be confirmed at the moment as the identification process was underway.

The body was found around the same location where Hussain's was found late Saturday night.

Earlier in the day, funeral prayers of Hussain were offered and the body has been sent to his hometown for burial.

The last official dispatch from ISPR on May 22 said that clearance efforts were underway round the clock to reach out to the 127 trapped soldiers and 11 civilians hit by an avalanche on April 7.

Simultaneous efforts were underway to tackle effects of water on the site in the shape of ponds, cuttings and crevasses.

More than 450 rescuers, including foreign teams, have been working in sub-zero temperatures at the site since the incident, though experts have said there is little chance of finding any survivors.]]>
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			<title>In memoriam: Siachen heroes honoured</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/384706/in-memoriam-siachen-heroes-honoured</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/384706/in-memoriam-siachen-heroes-honoured#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 27 May 12 04:32:35 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[news.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=384706</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Panelists talk of challenges related to withdrawal of troops, observe that the policy shift cannot be unilateral.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Pakistani nation is proud of its heroes who offered their lives in Siachen and protected the geographical boundaries of our country.


To pay tribute to their courage and sacrifices, an event was hosted by Bardasht at Quaid-i-Azam Hall, F-9 park on Saturday evening, according to a press release issued by the civil society organisation.

Panelists Tanveer Ahmed Khan, Lt. Gen (retd) Talat Masood, Brig. Rasheed Ali Malik, Fahd Hussain, Marya Sultan and Faisal Mushtaq discussed various dimensions of the Siachen war and unanimously voiced that a solution can only be reached through negotiation and dialogue between India and Pakistan.

They talked of challenges related to withdrawal of troops, as suggested by some quarters after the Gayari tragedy and observed that the policy shift cannot be unilateral.

Parents of Abdur Razzak Shaheed graced the occasion as chief guests.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Siachen tragedy: Body of one missing soldier recovered from Gayari</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/384808/siachen-tragedy-body-of-missing-soldier-recovered-from-gayari</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/384808/siachen-tragedy-body-of-missing-soldier-recovered-from-gayari#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 26 May 12 20:22:02 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=384808</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Rescue workers also cleared a check post located close to residential quarters of the soldiers stationed there.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The search and rescue operation for the 140 soldiers and contractors buried at Gayari met relative success on its 50th day as the body of one soldier was recovered from the Siachen. The soldier was identified as Mohammad Hussain, Express News reported.

Express News correspondent Mohammad Afzal reported early Sunday morning that rescue officials working round the clock to recover the 140 soldiers and contractors buried by an avalanche on April 7, had first discovered a check post for the residential barracks of soldiers.

The deceased's body has been shifted to Goma Hospital. More discoveries are now expected over the next few days.

The last official dispatch from Inter-Service Public Relation on May 22, said that clearance efforts were underway round the clock.

Simultaneous efforts are being undertaken to tackle effects of water on the site in the shape of ponds, cutting and crevasses. The water has started draining and has resulted in quick reduction of water levels in the lake up to 27 feet.

Excavation work has resumed its full pace despite difficulties posed by seepage of the water at the sites, hazards of crevasses, cutting by water and sinking effects for digging equipment.

Meanwhile during physical inspection of the area, some equipment had been found.

ISPR had reported that Ground Penetrating Rader (GPR) teams took readings at 26 different points and identified eight sites for further search.

“A 300-feet long course has been hauled over the avalanche for restoration of the channel by employing dozers,” the release quoted an official.

More than 450 rescuers, including foreign teams, have been working in sub-zero temperatures at the site since the incident, though experts have said there is little chance of finding any survivors.]]>
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			<title>Sleepless in Siachen</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/380931/sleepless-in-siachen</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/380931/sleepless-in-siachen#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 18 May 12 18:52:58 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[dr.niaz.murtaza]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=380931</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan can gain little strategic advantage through Siachen that it cannot gain more easily from other border points.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[India-Pakistan politics often resembles the theatre of the bizarre as both sides fight to exceed the absurdities of the other side. Nowhere is this senseless competition more vividly displayed than in the Siachen dispute, whose genesis goes back several decades. Although the 1949 Karachi and 1972 Simla agreements provide detailed delineation up to NJ9842, they merely state that the line will extend north subsequently into the glaciers. Under a compass-based interpretation of  ‘north’, Siachen would divide roughly equally between India and Pakistan. However, utilising different rationales, India gives north a north-westerly slant while Pakistan slants it in a north-easterly direction.

Pakistan started issuing international mountaineering permits for Siachen in the 1950s, hoping that a defacto jurisdiction will become accepted as de jure jurisdiction internationally. American cartographers duly obliged their Cold War ally by showing the whole glacier as Pakistani territory. Pakistani hawks laid their claims on all of Siachen based on these occurrences, conveniently ignoring the fact that ceasefire lines emerge from bilateral or UN resolutions only.

Within the maze of India-Pakistan political echo chambers, counter-accusations have become too intermingled for the truth to emerge easily. A quarter-century after the 1984 Indian encroachment far west of the strictly defined north line, both countries continue to squabble zealously over this barren land. The recent avalanche tragedy has precipitated talk of resolving the issue with Nawaz Sharif initially suggesting unilateral withdrawal.

If Pakistan withdraws unilaterally, India could react in three possible ways. Firstly, it may also withdraw. This would suit Pakistan as both sides would withdraw without validating the Actual Ground Position Line desired by India. Secondly, India could remain in Siachen. This, too, would suit Pakistan as India alone would incur the high occupation costs and become the object of international derision perched alone in the frigid mountains in quest of an imaginary snowline. This would allow Pakistan to claim the moral high ground and partially repair its globally tarnished image.

Thirdly, Pakistani hawks contend that India may attempt further incursions from Siachen into Pakistan. Alarming though this option sounds, it is improbable. Unfortunately, having captured a chunk of Kashmir as ‘bhaagtay chor ki langoti’ during Pakistan’s secession, India displays little intention of taking further Pakistani land. However, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani is reportedly guided by capabilities and not intentions. Looking at capacities, how will Siachen’s tortuous terrain allow India to transport the significant wherewithal required for attacking Pakistan? Moreover, the Pakistani army will not disappear completely but would still be stationed lower down. Thus, Siachen will remain an infeasible attack point.

Finally, even if India miraculously succeeds in overrunning Pakistani territory, would it be able to retain the land easily? Would it risk such a reckless adventure given the certain backlash from the local population, Pakistani army (conventional and nuclear) and jihadi groups and given the certain global condemnation and sanctions? After pursuing global status since 1990, India has become circumspect about new military misadventures. This is evident from its restrained responses to Kargil, parliament and the Mumbai attacks, unlike earlier overreactions. Similar compelling reasons exist for a unilateral Indian withdrawal. The much smaller Pakistani army could gain little strategic advantage through Siachen that it cannot gain more easily from other border points.

Despite these probable benefits from unilateral withdrawal, both countries should attempt to resolve the issue bilaterally once more, given the clarity and impetus that a bilateral resolution can provide. However, in case of another bilateral failure, both countries should seriously consider unilateral withdrawal. Hawks on both sides argue that withdrawing unilaterally will undermine national honour. However, if it rightly linked to displaying maturity rather than bellicosity, national honour will actually be enhanced.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 19th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>India-Pakistan Siachen talks in June: Foreign Ministry</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/377330/india-pakistan-siachen-talks-in-june-foreign-ministry</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/377330/india-pakistan-siachen-talks-in-june-foreign-ministry#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 11 May 12 05:43:16 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=377330</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[We want to resolve all issues through meaningful and result-oriented dialogue: Foreign Ministry spokesperson.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan said Friday that it would host the next round of talks with India over the disputed Siachen Glacier, dubbed the world's highest battlefield, on June 11-12 in Islamabad.

Troops from India and Pakistan have faced off on the glacier in the mountains of disputed Kashmir since the 1980s but calls for the stand-off to end have been growing after an avalanche on April 7 which buried 140 people at a Pakistani army camp.

“Siachen is part of the dialogue process between India and Pakistan and defence secretary level talks on Siachen will be held on June 11 and 12 in Islamabad,” foreign ministry spokesman Moazzam Ahmad Khan told AFP.

“We want to resolve all issues through meaningful and result-oriented dialogue, and Siachen is an issue which is a source of concern for both the countries,” Khan added.

Pakistan's army chief of staff, General Ashfaq Kayani, last month called for a negotiated end to the confrontation and said the glacier should be demilitarised.

Previous rounds of negotiations between Delhi and Islamabad on Siachen have ended in stalemate. Pakistan has said a redeployment of forces is one of "several proposals" made during the dialogue process.

India's Defence Minister A.K. Antony told parliament this week that Pakistan would have to reveal its troop positions before any disengagement could be undertaken and he cautioned against high expectations.

“Don't expect dramatic results (from the next round of talks). It is a complicated issue,” he said.

Sections of the Indian media have also raised doubts about the talks and any suggestion that India should relinquish a strategically important territory where hundreds of troops have lost their lives.

“Could PM gift away to Pakistan what Army has won?” read a headline for a front-page article in this week's India Today current affairs magazine which detailed the opposition from within the Indian army.

An editorial said an agreement on Siachen would be an achievement for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who yearns for a peace deal with Pakistan, but “for the country it may however amount to surrender for very little gain”.

Relations between India and Pakistan, which have fought three wars since the subcontinent was partitioned in 1947, have been plagued by border and resource disputes, and accusations of Pakistani militant activity against India.

This week, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna pressed Pakistan to do more to combat militant terror networks, saying its territory should not be used as a launch pad for terrorist attacks anywhere.

Washington believes rapprochement between arch-rivals India and Pakistan can help ease regional tensions over Afghanistan as US combat troops prepare to leave in 2014.]]>
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			<title>Giari visit: Kayani talks of toughening Indian stance on Siachen</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/373834/giari-visit-kayani-talks-of-toughening-indian-stance-on-siachen</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/373834/giari-visit-kayani-talks-of-toughening-indian-stance-on-siachen#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 04 May 12 04:24:12 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[sumera.khan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=373834</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Following avalanche tragedy, India asking for demarcation of the LoC, says army chief.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[During his third visit to avalanche-hit Giari, the army chief termed India’s current stance over Siachen even harsher than in 1989, with its demand for the demarcation of the Line of Control.


Pointing out a regression in talks, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said that India is now talking about redefining the bordaerlines. He was talking to the media following his visit on Thursday.

He said that whereas in the past, India would demand an acceptance of the status of Siachen, its stance has changed following the Giari tragedy

He reiterated his call for a peaceful solution over the issue and said both India and Pakistan need to sit and resolve all the issues through dialogue.

“I fully support a peaceful move towards resolving this issue instead of stiffness and deadlock,” he said.

The army chief further said both countries would mutually benefit from a pullout from the area. India is also a stakeholder in the region, he said.

According to Indian daily The Hindu, asked if he had seen any willingness by India to engage with Pakistan following the avalanche and his own call for demilitarisation of Siachen, the army chief said: “In Pakistan, it has got across-the-board support. It has been received positively in India, except with some ifs and buts. Let’s hope we can move forward.”

Rescue efforts

According to an ISPR statement released earlier, the army chief was briefed over the progress of the ongoing work, including efforts to create a watercourse to safely drain a lake formed by the blockage of River Giari due to the avalanche.

The army chief remained with the troops for some time and lauded their motivation in the face of tough conditions and extreme weather. He appreciated their resolve in upholding the army’s proud tradition of not leaving any man behind, regardless of cost.

Thursday was the 27th consecutive day of the rescue and search operation, which is still striving to recover over 140 soldiers and civilians trapped underneath an avalanche that hit the sixth Northern Light Infantry headquarters on April 7 in the Giari sector of Siachen.

According to sources and an operational team available on helplines, over 500 soldiers and civilians are taking part in the operation.

An officer told The Express Tribune that continuous snow slides and blizzards are the main hurdle in removing the heavy layers of snowpack and the equipment is also being affected.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Siachen tragedy: Live video streaming gets online from Gyari</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/373658/siachen-tragedy-live-video-streaming-gets-online-from-gyari</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/373658/siachen-tragedy-live-video-streaming-gets-online-from-gyari#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 03 May 12 16:46:42 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[ispr.]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=373658</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Kayani visits Gyari, appreciates tradition of 'leave no man behind'.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani visited Gyari sector on Thursday, to oversee the progress of rescue efforts. 

The COAS was briefed about the progress of ongoing work including the efforts to create a water course to safely drain the lake formed by blocking of Gyari river by the avalanche.

The satellite data link also became operational today, which will allow real time video monitoring of relief work from the General Head Quarters in Rawalpindi.

Kayani remained with the troops for some time and lauded their motivation in face of tough conditions and the extreme weather. He appreciated their resolve to upkeep Army’s proud tradition of ‘leaving no man behind’, until humanly possible, regardless of cost.

The COAS was also accompanied by Commander Rawalpindi Corps and a media team, invited to witness firsthand, the ongoing activities at disaster site.]]>
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			<title>Day 24: More engineering equipment to be dispatched to Siachen</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/372244/day-24-more-engineering-equipment-to-be-dispatched-to-siachen</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/372244/day-24-more-engineering-equipment-to-be-dispatched-to-siachen#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 30 Apr 12 17:58:56 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[ispr.]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=372244</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Engineering equipment to include 19 excavators, bulldozers and dumpers.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[After three weeks, the Siachen rescue operation continues at Gayari sector, with more engineering equipment being dispatched to augment the search and probe operation, including 19 excavators, bulldozers and dumpers.

According to an Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) press release issued on Monday, ground-penetrating radar teams have scanned a total of 176 points at various locations and identified 44 points for excavation. 

Excavation and physical search continues at all locations and all efforts are being made to maintain the pace of work despite challenges.

A protection band was being made between an artificial lake and the avalanche to prevent inundation of excavated site.]]>
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			<title>21st day: Rescue operation continues at Siachen</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/370893/21st-day-rescue-operation-continues-at-siachen</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/370893/21st-day-rescue-operation-continues-at-siachen#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 27 Apr 12 15:50:26 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=370893</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[A 300-feet long course has been hauled over the avalanche, says ISPR.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The search and rescue operation for over a 100 soldiers buried at Gayari continued for the 21st day on Thursday, reported Inter-Service Public Relation (ISPR).

ISPR reported that the Ground Penetrating Rader (GPR) teams took readings at 26 different points and identified eight sites for further search.

“A 300-feet long course has been hauled over the avalanche for restoration of the channel by employing dozers.”

At least 138 people were buried under a huge avalanche at an army camp at Siachen glacier.

More than 450 rescuers, including foreign teams, have been working in sub-zero temperatures at the site since the incident, though experts have said there is little chance of finding any survivors.]]>
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			<title>Glacier tragedy: Eyes yearning for one last look at Siachen martyrs</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/370030/glacier-tragedy-eyes-yearning-for-one-last-look-at-siachen-martyrs</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/370030/glacier-tragedy-eyes-yearning-for-one-last-look-at-siachen-martyrs#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 26 Apr 12 04:01:23 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[rabia.mehmood]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=370030</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Families of fallen soldiers feel honoured but urge resolution of conflict.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Hameeda Bibi prays, like any mother who lost her son in a similar situation would, for the families of the 138 Siachen avalanche victims to see the bodies of their loved ones one last time.


“I know that will bring peace to them InshAllah – it is the most important thing now,” she says. Otherwise, she adds, peace for them will only be a miracle.

A huge wall of snow crashed into the Giari sector at Siachen Glacier on April 7, trapping troops and civilians from the 6 Northern Light Infantry Battalion.

In 2010, Hameeda Bibi, a resident of Jang Saidan in Islamabad, received the body of her son, Lance Naek Ikhtiyar Husain, a guide to other soldiers serving at Siachen, 11 days after he fell into a gorge, along with three others at Post Mustafa.

Drawing from her loss, she says: “If the bodies (of the Siachen victims) are not recovered, peace will only be a miracle for the families of Giari martyrs.”

Beyond the official statements and political rhetoric, members of military families like Hameeda Bibi continue to suffer and struggle to raise questions about the Siachen conflict.

A serving major in the Pakistan Army, who chose to stay anonymous, recalled his six months at Siachen in 2000 and said that even during the period when tension between Pakistan and India were at their highest, officers would think that the conflict was “illogical” because the area could be left alone.

“We used to sit and say to ourselves that all we’re doing is looking at rocks and ice. To us there was no logic in just sitting there.”

And the severe circumstances of surviving at Siachen sector posts did not help. “Lying down, turning over in bed was an effort. Every breath would feel like we had been running for miles,” he said.

Senior officers who served at Siachen are of the view that politicians need to campaign and mould public opinion against keeping troops at Siachen. Some fear that the concern of the masses will fade away once the tragedy goes out of headlines.

Having served from 1978-1979 in Lipa Valley, Kashmir, before the Siachen conflict began, Major (retd) Joseph Sharaf is of the view that both governments will keep losing men to the weather but political courage will remain an issue.

“It is criminal to deploy soldiers at Siachen. But no politician wants to be responsible for taking the decision to pull out first. They fear that the masses might not forgive them,” he said.

Brigadier (retd) Yasub Ali Dogar, who was the commander designate of the Siachen sector in 1988-1989, says that the “eyeball-to-eyeball position at Siachen is senseless.” But to him, the major concern is environmental degradation. He believes that the avalanches could be connected to the presence of human life. “Thousands of rounds of artillery have been fired in those mountains. Human excreta and garbage is thrown in the snow. Just imagine hundreds and thousands of cans lying around in those glaciers.”

As the rescue efforts for recovering bodies at the Giari sector continue, military families like those of Lance Naek Ikhtiyar Husain feel honoured of their loved ones’ sacrifice for the country but in hushed tones say that the high-ups have to make more of an effort for a resolution.

Husain’s father, Muhammad Riaz, says: “What can we say, it is the government who can resolve this matter. We are proud of our son’s martyrdom but the pain of separation from him is too much to bear.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 26th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>“… thence upwards to the moon”</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/369858/%e2%80%9c%e2%80%a6-thence-upwards-to-the-moon%e2%80%9d</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/369858/%e2%80%9c%e2%80%a6-thence-upwards-to-the-moon%e2%80%9d#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 25 Apr 12 19:00:40 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[shahzad chaudhry]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=369858</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan aims to avoid war with India by making it cost-prohibitive. Agni testing lays waste to any pretension.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[On April 19, India successfully fired its first true intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that can carry a one-tonne nuclear warhead across continents. By doing so, it joined a select group of five countries that already have this capability. Pakistan is not among them. Pakistan’s capability is India-specific and aimed at avoiding a war with it by making any thought of such a conflict cost-prohibitive. The same biting reality should hopefully also keep Pakistan in check. It is a perverse way of avoiding a war and ensuring peace but this is what you get in primal societies where enhanced means of extinction are celebrated by creating and joining select groups. Around two weeks back we were reminded of our exclusive honour as the only two nations in the world who were engaged in a war on the world’s highest battlefield. Citius, Altius, Fortius — we have given it a new meaning.

Somewhere in a discreet office in Pakistan, a nuclear scientist is in a serious conversation with a strategic planner trying to lead him on to that illusory goal of imitating the feat within a couple of years, only if the strategic planner could keep the funds flowing. He could extend the range of his current fleet of missiles to 5,000 kilometres, and then to 10,000 kilometres, by just adding another solid-fuel rocket motor and some further refinement of rocket motor technology. And he would say that that this would allow the missile to go thousands of kilometres up in the sky, and “thence upwards to the moon”! Sounds familiar? It should: 1949, and the Karachi Agreement, then 1972 and Simla; “thence north to the glaciers”! We are grappling with both the syntax and the various interpretations as we fight off the tragedy of April 7 at Siachen and the 8,000 others who have lost their lives since 1984 when another competitive undertaking set us onto the journey to discover whatever “thence north to the glaciers” meant.

The scientist would then add that such a long-range and high altitude re-entry could provide for multiple independently-targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs) — eight to 10 nuclear bombs, each 20 times the destructive power of those that took out Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This means that there will be one missile carrying up to 10 nuclear bombs — a dream come true for any Dr Strangelove. You could rain them all at one place making sure that no one walked that piece of earth again, or through sheer marvel of technological beastliness target them at ten different places within a few hundred kilometres of each other. Imagine the perversity that entices a being and exhilarates him with this idea of complete extinction — not just death.

Somewhere out there, however, there are a few others who have their eyebrows curled up. Japan, Australia, the Koreas and who knows the Indonesians too could have dreams of their own. Those are only likely to be reinforced. Closer to home, the Iranians will find a valid justification to pursue what they are already being blamed for, which would then trigger responses from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and worries in most of Europe. China would have already have a plan on putting up a missile shield; India’s ability to target the Chinese ‘heartland’ will now serve to expedite its institution.

President Barack Obama was awarded a Nobel prize for peace without having earned it. However, after having accepted it, he carries a moral baggage to deliver on his qualification for the award. He has pushed the world on non-proliferation and disarmament. Pakistan has been under specific pressure on the Fissile Material Cut-off  Treaty. The Agni testing, however, lay waste any pretension of the world heeding him.

On April 18, I was invited to an Indian TV debate on the implications of what by then was an impending Agni V test. In a planned interview of about 22 minutes I could only participate for about five — for the remaining 17 the communications would not hold. The anchor, honest enough, could only admit that while we in South Asia indeed had lofty missions of intercontinental aspirations, we still had to learn to institute more reliable communications. That is the truth on both sides of the border.

I wonder what will come first: a South Asian on the moon, reliable communications, resolution of  “thence north to the glaciers” conundrum, or a newer challenge of  “thence upwards to the moon”. Whatever it might be, see you on the moon!

Published in The Express Tribune, April 26th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Siachen: people or land or none of them?</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/369854/siachen-people-or-land-or-none-of-them</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/369854/siachen-people-or-land-or-none-of-them#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 25 Apr 12 18:34:16 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[dr.tariq.rahman]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=369854</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Real reason India, Pakistan do not withdraw is that they are afraid of losing face, appearing to seem weak, appeasing.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Can you imagine a land nearly 19,000 feet above sea level with howling winds where the snow can be as much as 35 feet deep, or more? It is a 43 mile-long glacier, which makes it the second largest glacier in the world outside the poles. No animal is so stupid as to live there; indeed even plants do not exist. Day in and day out, the snow blinds you with its intense white glare. Even the rifles have to be heated so that they do not freeze. This is the Siachen Glacier where India and Pakistan have been fighting a totally idiotic war since 1984. Both sides concede that more soldiers have perished because of the climate than enemy fire. Both sides also agree that they are spending their taxpayers’ money in the millions every day for this insane conflict. There have been a dozen or so efforts at making peace and in June 1989, Rajiv Gandhi and Benazir Bhutto almost agreed to a withdrawal. But the Indian generals would have none of it and the civilian government was not strong enough to put its foot down.

I was of the opinion that the establishment thinks that people do not matter while land does. One can read about any number of wars over land in history, which have wasted thousands of lives. Even the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453) between the kings of France and England was understandable. For the lands were fair and not wastelands. The Alsace-Lorraine region, which became the bone of contention between France and Germany, was also a rich and fair land. But, despite the fact that many people spoke German dialects, there were cities like Metz where the language was French. When the German king was advised to annex it by his generals who wanted to move the frontier to the west in order to have a strategic advantage over France, the wise minister Otto von Bismarck opposed the aggression. He said it would result in war with France. And that is exactly what happened. It resulted not in one war but several and, cost far more in men and money to both France and Germany than any strategic advantage could compensate for. Indeed, history talks of many conflicts over pieces of the earth which cost much more in terms of lives blighted and wealth squandered. Of course, the nationalists who go to war for these pieces of land, do so on some imagined principle of dynastic ego or national prestige or vague concept of  ‘strategic interest’ or  ‘national interest’. While the realist school of international relations would have us believe that decision-makers carry out a cold-blooded rational calculation of loss and gain before deciding to sacrifice their young men, the fact is they act irrationally. They act like foolhardy, gambling school bullies who jump into fights to satisfy their egos. Such are the decision-makers of the human race to whom we have entrusted our lives and in whose hands we have given weapons which can blow up the planet several times over.

As I said, in most cases of war, the land and its wealth was said to be a major cause. While it made sense in premodern warfare when the weapons were not as destructive and there was no spirit of nationalism to keep the dogs of war perpetually unleashed, the advent of modern weapons and nationalism have made these arguments obsolete. However, in the particular case of Siachen, we are in danger of losing the land too — not the wasteland of the glacier itself which ought not to interest any sane person, but the great plains of India and Pakistan. The reason is that the glacier is melting at the rate of 110 metres per year and the great Gangotri Glacier is also melting at a rate of 32 metres per year. This is unprecedented and it will be an ecological disaster if the glaciers melt because of human activity. The glaciers feed rivers and if we waste the water because of fast melting glaciers, we will have to face unprecedented disaster in the river systems of both India and Pakistan. In short, instead of gaining land our follies are going to make us lose the lands we inherited. Does this make any sense?

Well, in the face of such arguments the nationalists fall back on principles: the Indians contend this was their land and Pakistan had allowed expeditions near, or on some part of it earlier than their occupation of the Saltoro Range heights. The Pakistani position is that the land was unmarked but that India transgressed against this understanding in April 1984, when it sent in its army to occupy the heights of Saltoro. Since the 1990s, the Bharatiya Janata Party contends that Siachen is necessary for ‘strategic and security’ reasons. In Pakistan also, this argument is heard with the additional one that India can threaten Gilgit-Baltistan and China’s approach to Pakistan. The fact is that if India and Pakistan would only deploy their forces in the areas where human habitation actually begins, they would be more secure than they are now as they would not be constantly losing soldiers and money. After all, an army which crosses the formidable glacier would not be a match for an entrenched army sitting in trenches in habitable land. Moreover, if it is a question of crossing over into the other’s territory, there are other less daunting places. The real reason is that both sides are afraid of losing face and appearing to seem weak and appeasing. But these fears should transcend for the higher reason that there is nothing more important than human lives and ecology.

In short, what I would recommend in the interest of human beings on both side of the conflict and the ecological system of the two countries is for them to withdraw to the pre-1984 positions. And if India does not agree, then Pakistan should do so unilaterally while reserving the right to appeal to the International Court of Justice or some other UN agency for a final marking of the maps acceptable to both countries.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 26th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Day 16: ‘It wasn’t a slide, it was a glacier’</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/369128/day-16-%e2%80%98it-wasn%e2%80%99t-a-slide-it-was-a-glacier%e2%80%99</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/369128/day-16-%e2%80%98it-wasn%e2%80%99t-a-slide-it-was-a-glacier%e2%80%99#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 24 Apr 12 03:36:03 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[sumera.khan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Gilgit Baltistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=369128</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Despite the adverse weather conditions, pace of rescue work remained unaffected.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[As military personnel and volunteers work round the clock on the extensive rescue operation at the Giari Sector in Siachen, a total of 1.73 million cubic feet area has been shifted since the avalanche engulfed the Battalion Headquarters (HQ’s).


Speaking on condition of anonymity, a high ranking military official assigned to administer the rescue and search operation in Gayari sector, said that the tragic incident on April 7 was not merely an avalanche, it was a huge upper part of a glacier which displaced and came down on the headquarter situated at the base.

The official added that keeping in view the overwhelming sentimental conditions of the families of the victims, the military officials are trying hard not to share the ground realities with them.

Speaking about the operation, he said , “we are getting closer to the structure; there are fair chances now to find bodies even outside of the HQ’s building as most of the military men, might have tried to get.”

Operation Update

According to an update issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), despite cold weather hindering the operation, frequently causing equipment to breakdown, all efforts were being made to extract the trapped soldiers and civilians.

The platforms, constructed on all sites, have been consolidated, however excavation work is being focused on expansion of the sites. The Ground-penetrating radar teams have identified two more points.

Meanwhile the Norwegian team, after providing necessary assistance has arrived in Islamabad and will be departing for Norway on Tuesday.

&nbsp;

Published in The Express Tribune, April 24th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Wisdom from the mountains</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/368777/wisdom-from-the-mountains</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/368777/wisdom-from-the-mountains#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 23 Apr 12 18:05:30 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[dr.akmal.hussain]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=368777</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Demilitarise the Siachen Glacier and thereby save lives, economic resources and the ecology of that region.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[No better tribute can be paid to the intrepid soldiers and civilians — still buried under the recent avalanche, and thousands more who have been killed or injured due to the cold over the years in Siachen — than the recent recognition by the Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, that peace is in the best interests of the people and the environment. Earlier, amidst their sorrow at the tragedy in the Giari sector, politicians and the public alike, were unanimous in their conviction that the clash of national egos and needless deaths and human suffering in that icy wasteland must end. The Indian Minister of State for Defence, Mr MM Pallam Raju, immediately welcomed this emerging consensus in Pakistan and seemed amenable to the logic of Pakistan’s view. So let peace talks begin between Pakistan and India to demilitarise the Siachen Glacier and thereby save lives, economic resources and the ecology of that watershed region, which is vital to the life support system of both countries.

The proposition propounded by General Kayani — perhaps the first time by a serving chief of army staff — was a more general one: that Pakistan and India should seek peace in order to pursue the economic well-being of the people. It represents a step towards a welcome change in the national security paradigm. National security in terms of the capacity to defend the country against external aggression becomes meaningful only when individuals within that country have a stake in citizenship: this means an entitlement to democratic freedoms, education, health, food security, livelihood, justice, and protection from violence against an individual’s person. It is these rights flowing out of the fact of citizenship that enable human functioning. It is through the provision of these rights that a state acquires legitimacy and the citizens, the will to defend it. The real strength of a country, therefore, lies in the well-being of its citizens. The military, which specialises in defence, can win respect from society and indeed internal motivation when it restricts itself to its constitutional role under elected civil authority of defending the national territorial space. This space can acquire substance only within the institutional structures that guarantee the freedom of its citizens.

The essential fact about the India-Pakistan problematique is that both countries have common problems of hunger, disease, illiteracy, communal bigotry and internal violence, to varying extents. Yet, in maintaining a hostile posture and spending disproportionate amounts on building military apparatuses of mutual destruction, they are constraining their respective capacities to provide the very economic resources to their peoples which is the real basis of national strength.

The work of Dr Mahbubul Haq suggests that there is a substantial human opportunity cost of military expenditure in South Asia. For example, half the annual military expenditure in the region could provide primary school education to 119 million children for a year, safe drinking water to 200 million people and medicines to 117 million people.

Forty-five per cent of children who embody the future of our countries are suffering from malnutrition, with millions dying of water borne diseases and even more being deprived of primary education. My work for the International Labour Organisation on children in hazardous employment shows that out of those children who are too poor to go to school, millions are engaged in labour: many are maimed, blinded, and struck with lung diseases and brain deformities related to poisonous emissions and physical hazards at workplaces. We are witnessing a mutilation of the innocents in both Pakistan and India.

Together, through peace, economic well-being and protecting the life support systems of our shared ecology, it is time to build a better future for the people of India and Pakistan. Pakistan is taking the first hesitant steps in this direction by opening up trade and talking peace. Demilitarising Siachen could be the next substantial step. Will India have the courage and vision to grasp the moment and take the peace process forward?

Published in The Express Tribune, April 24th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Day 16: Rescue operation continues despite cold weather at Siachen</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/368802/day-16-rescue-operation-continues-despite-cold-weather-at-siachen</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/368802/day-16-rescue-operation-continues-despite-cold-weather-at-siachen#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 23 Apr 12 16:16:04 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[ispr.]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Gilgit Baltistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=368802</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Rescue worker have excavated 1.73 million cubic feet at Gayari. Norwegian team to return home tomorrow.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[As military personnel and volunteers work round the clock on the extensive rescue operation at the Gayari Sector in Siachen, a total of 1.73 million cubic feet area has been shifted since the avalanche engulfed the Battalion Headquarters.

According to an update issued by the Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR), despite cold weather hindering the operation, frequently causing equipment to breakdown, all efforts were being made to extract the trapped soldiers and civilians.

The platforms, constructed on all sites, have been consolidated, however excavation work is being focused on expansion of the sites. The Ground-penetrating radar teams have identified two more points.

Meanwhile the Norwegian team, after providing necessary assistance has arrived in Islamabad and will be departing for Norway on Tuesday.]]>
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			</item><item>
			<title>The fight for Siachen</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/368394/the-fight-for-siachen</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/368394/the-fight-for-siachen#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 22 Apr 12 16:45:46 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[javed.hussain]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=368394</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The only way out of this morass is to demilitarise the zone with the UN acting as the guarantor.]]>
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				<![CDATA[On April 13, 1984 a small force of the Indian Army occupied the Bilafond La pass. Four days later, another small force occupied the Sia La pass. Both passes, the former at over 18,000 ft and the latter at over 20,000 ft are located in the Saltoro Range and serve as the gateway to the Siachen Glacier. The Indians had moved fast after receiving intelligence that the Pakistan Army was planning to occupy them. The first Pakistani reaction to the occupation of the passes came on April 24/25, 1984 when a small force attempted to get to the Bilafond La in an uphill assault but was thwarted by the difficult glaciated terrain and adverse weather conditions.

In the days that followed, the Indian Army built up a large force to defend the 80 kilometre-long Saltoro Range ridgeline. Since then, the Saltoro Range has been the focal point of operations — the Pakistanis seeking to gain a foothold on the ridge line, the Indians denying it.

In early April 1987, another attempt was made by the Pakistan Army to gain a foothold on the Saltoro ridgeline. A small force consisting of about a dozen SSG commandos, using ropes and ladders, went up a vertical cliff and occupied a position at over 21,000 ft that dominated the Indian positions at Bilafond La. They named it Quaid post. The Indian Army made several attempts to evict the commandos but each time they were repulsed with heavy casualties. On June 25, 1987, they succeeded in taking the post as the commandos had run out of ammunition and could not be resupplied as the base supporting them came under fire. With the only foothold on the ridgeline lost, the Pakistan Army launched a major attack in September 1987 to get to Bilafond La. The attack was repulsed. In March 1989, another attempt was made, this time in the Chumik glacier, three kilometres east of Giari (recently hit by an avalanche). At over 19,000 ft, the place chosen is the most difficult to scale in the Saltoro Range for either side. In a daring operation the peak was occupied by two men, an officer and a non-commissioned officer, slung from a helicopter on a rope, turn by turn. The two thwarted all Indian efforts to get to the top for 36 hours after which they were reinforced by a handful of soldiers dropped in similar fashion. But in May 1989 when the Indians succeeded in neutralising the supply base supporting the soldiers on the peak, the post was vacated.

In November 1992, yet another attempt was made to get to the ridgeline by means of a major attack. Launched in haste, the attack ended in failure. As a consequence, the general officer commanding was sacked. Most of the casualties suffered by Pakistani troops in combat were in the two major attacks (September 1987, November 1992).

The Indians have rarely embarked on a major offensive venture. They have left this to the Pakistanis who have obliged them at least twice . The loss of Quaid post and withdrawal from the Chumik glacier post due to lack of logistic support to a handful of men, are cases in point. Despite twelve rounds of negotiations, the two have not been able to reach an amicable settlement because of domestic political compulsions and mutual mistrust (exacerbated by the Kargil conflict). The dispute revolves round the extension of the Line of Control (LOC) beyond a point on the Saltoro Range known by its map reference as NJ 9820420. The demarcated LOC ends at this point —“thence north to the glaciers” is what the Karachi agreement of 1949 states about the extension. According to the Indians, this meant that the LoC should extend northwards along the Saltoro Range up to Sia Kangri.

On the other hand, Pakistan’s stand is that beyond NJ 9820420, the LOC should extend eastward up to the Karakoram pass. Extending the LOC northwards would give the entire Siachen Glacier-Saltoro area to India, while extending it eastward would give it to Pakistan.

The only way out of this morass is to demilitarise the zone with the UN acting as the guarantor. Can the leadership of the two countries show for once statesmanship to resolve not only the Siachen dispute but all other outstanding disputes and can the two armies assist them in doing so?

Until then, for the soldiers on the Saltoro Range ‘theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die’.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 23rd, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Day 14: Siachen avalanche took less than 5 seconds, says WAPDA</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/368020/day-14-avalanche-took-less-than-5-seconds-says-wapda</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/368020/day-14-avalanche-took-less-than-5-seconds-says-wapda#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 21 Apr 12 17:16:17 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
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			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=368020</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Some life jackets, pieces of Igloo, medicines were found at 600 meters from the original location.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[According to the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), the avalanche took less than five seconds to wreak havoc on the unfortunate soldiers posted at Gayari, as intimated by its hydrological experts on Saturday.

Meanwhile the weather continued to be ruthless in Siachen with temperatures dropping further due to overcast conditions and icy winds. Despite the adverse weather conditions, pace of rescue work remained unaffected.

The excavation work was being expanded with the help of men and ‘material’, with a probing search carried out at three spots.

Some life jackets, pieces of an igloo and medicines have been found at the site. They were found 600 meters from what rescuers believe was the original location of the soldiers. The items recovered showed the magnitude of destruction and nature of the avalanche.]]>
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			<title>Search operation: Excavation work accelerated</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/367335/search-operation-excavation-work-accelerated</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/367335/search-operation-excavation-work-accelerated#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 20 Apr 12 03:47:09 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[sumera.khan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=367335</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Higher temperatures in Giari spark fears of further landslides.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[As the search and rescue operation at Siachen enters its 13th consecutive day, excavation work has been accelerated due to unfavourable weather report for the next 24 hours.


According to a military official from the engineer corps taking part in the operation, excavation work at Giari has been speeded up in the face of landslide fears following a rise in temperature. Already, the temperature had been higher than normal over the last four days, he said.

In addition, the official said, protective measures were being undertaken and concerned authorities were notified hour-by-hour in this regard.

At the same time, the search operation continues at all sites with all available resources. Some 495 people, including 83 civilians, along with 29 engineering machines are employed at the sites.

Rescuers have managed to complete tunnel access from five points, despite harsh weather conditions. Digging was also commenced at four new points on Thursday. The military official informed The Express Tribune that in addition to the latest equipment, explosives were also being used to break through rock.

According to an ISPR update on the rescue operation, ground penetrating radars along with relevant experts had been dispatched to Giari. The seven-member Norwegian team, meanwhile, has carried out a survey and is preparing a map of the area. The team remains in Giari and is assisting Pakistan Army in the operation. The team of US experts, however, left Giari on Wednesday after completing all its tasks.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 20th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Demilitarising Siachen: Kayani’s peace overture welcomed by New Delhi</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/367367/demilitarising-siachen-kayani%e2%80%99s-peace-overture-welcomed-by-new-delhi</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/367367/demilitarising-siachen-kayani%e2%80%99s-peace-overture-welcomed-by-new-delhi#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 20 Apr 12 00:21:44 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Aditi Phadnis]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=367367</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Foreign Office spokesperson says India, Pakistan have to work out how to resolve issue.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani’s call for peace talks and demilitarisation of the icy climes of the world’s highest battleground, Siachen, was welcomed by India on Thursday.


Though the reaction did not come from the highest offices in Delhi, it did come from a relevant office – that of Indian Minister of State for Defence MM Pallam Raju.

Raju welcomed Pakistan’s ‘realisation’ of how difficult it was to maintain troops at Siachen.

“I am glad that our neighbouring country Pakistan is also realising the challenges and the economic problems of maintaining troops on the Siachen Glacier,” Raju told the Indian media.

The minister of state also noted the economic toll inflicted by the deployment of troops in glacial heights. “They have their concerns and we have our concerns but it does take an economic toll. This money can be better spent on development of both countries,” the minister said.

The stress on the concerns of each country also echoed in Pakistan.

The Foreign Office on Thursday clarified that there was no change in Pakistan’s stance over the dispute despite the army chief’s call for the demilitarisation of the world’s highest battlefield.

“This (Siachen) conflict should be resolved, but how it is resolved, the two countries have to talk about it,” said Foreign Office spokesperson Muazzam Ali Khan in his weekly briefing.

He said the two countries would begin the next round of secretary-level talks on Siachen in Islamabad but dates had yet to be finalised.

“We have made several proposals under the Siachen dialogue process, including the redeployment of forces,” he said, adding that the two countries would have to find some way to move forward.

Speaking at Skardu airport after visiting the remote Giari base on day 12 of the search operation in the sector, Kayani had said the high cost and environmental impact were good reasons why the area should not be militarised and stressed on the importance of “peaceful coexistence” between India and Pakistan.

Before Kayani, former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif even went so far as to say that Pakistan should lead the withdrawal from Siachen Glacier, insisting that India would automatically follow suit.

Background

There have been several rounds of talks since the conflict began in 1984. The two sides had almost reached an agreement in 1989, but the Indian government is said to have backtracked after strong opposition by its military establishment.

During the last round of talks held in New Delhi last year, Islamabad handed over a “non-paper” envisaging a roadmap for resolution of the problem. Pakistan had proposed immediate disengagement as a way forward for resolving the dispute.

The Siachen conflict began in 1984 when Indian forces launched a successful operation to force Pakistani troops to retreat west of Saltoro ridge. Since then, the two countries have fought intermittently in the region until they agreed on a ceasefire in 2003.

India wants Pakistan to authenticate the 110-kilometre actual ground position line (AGPL) along the Siachen Glacier-Saltoro ridge in Jammu and Kashmir while Islamabad insists on reverting back to pre-1984 positions.

About 3,000 Pakistani soldiers have died at Siachen since 1984, about 90 percent of whom perished from weather-related causes, said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas.

(Read: Saluting wisdom)

(WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT IN ISLAMABAD)

Published in The Express Tribune, April 20th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Saluting wisdom</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/367099/saluting-wisdom</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/367099/saluting-wisdom#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 19 Apr 12 18:43:16 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[editorial]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Editorial]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=367099</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[General Kayani’s call for peace and a resolution of all issues, including Siachen, is no small matter.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The comments made by Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani after he visited the site of the devastating avalanche at the Gayari sector are a rarity and rather pertinent to the needs and interests of Pakistan. General Kayani needs to be saluted for suggesting that Siachen, with its virtually inhabitable terrain be vacated by troops from both sides and progress towards peace be made with India. Such a proposal, coming from the army chief, is virtually revolutionary in terms of its content. The army has traditionally been regarded as a body dominated by hawks, unwilling to consider friendly ties with India. Against this backdrop, General Kayani’s call for peace and a resolution of all issues is no small matter.

Just as important was his suggestion that the defence budget should be cut and more ought to be spent on development. His acknowledgement that the strength of a country lay in its people indicates a vital change in outlook towards relations with India. For decades people have pointed this out at various forums and spoken at length about the benefits this would reap. The realisation that our nation will progress, not through military might alone, but also through developing the tremendous potential of our people, is a significant one. Many nations have discovered that the will and strength of their people count more than the power of arms. We must capitalise on this notion immediately.

A window of opportunity has been provided by the army chief’s comments. We must now take advantage of the comments made by Kayani. The cooperation of the military in building a system where more resources can be allocated for development and taken away from defence would be invaluable. The power of the army has long been seen as an obstacle to reallocating resources and also to building peace with India. It now seems that an impediment may have been removed and the path for greater institutional cooperation may have been laid. Let us not allow this opportunity to go to waste.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 20th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Kudos and comparisons</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/367102/kudos-and-comparisons</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/367102/kudos-and-comparisons#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 19 Apr 12 18:30:21 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[kamran.shafi]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=367102</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[A criminally irresponsible State would spends monies for equipping, keeping soldiers at the glacier than uplift poor.]]>
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				<![CDATA[First, everyone, a round of applause for Nawaz Sharif for saying so clearly, and so courageously, that India and Pakistan should withdraw their armies from Siachen in what is the most perilous, futile, and yes, stupidest stand-off in the whole wide world. As he said, one in which the battle was principally against the unbelievably harsh weather; the penetrating, unbearable, biting, killing cold; and such high altitudes at which even breathing is tortuous.

Predictably, the Ghairat Brigades have jumped right down his throat just as they did when he advocated peace and amity between Pakistan and India at the South Asian Free Media Association’s (SAFMA) convention in Lahore in August last year. I might add that, because it talks sense, SAFMA is the pet hate of the ‘Ghairat’ Brigade’s (aka the Deep State) propagandists, its guiding lights such as Zaid ‘Ghazwa-i-Hind’ Hamid asking for its members to be lynched by the judiciary, no less. I ask you.

Let us accept that it is a cruel State, and one without an ounce of human feeling, that would expose its fine young men to the kind of trials that India and Pakistan have exposed theirs to for 20 years now. And this despite the deleterious effect seen on many of those soldiers who were lucky enough to get out of that horrible experience alive. From toes and feet and fingers and hands lost to frostbite, to psychological problems that disrupt their professional and family lives, veterans live the never-ending nightmare of Siachen day in and day out.

It is a criminally irresponsible State that would spend the kind of monies needed for equipping and maintaining thousands of soldiers in the environment found at the glacier instead of using the funds for the uplift of their teeming poor. It is estimated that India spends one million a day for its adventure in Siachen, and while actual figures for Pakistan are not available they could not be far behind India’s.

However these are matters that can be put right by, say, withdrawing from Siachen. What we haven’t even discussed yet is the damage to the environment that human beings and their detritus can do to the area which is the main source of water, critical principally to Pakistan. This damage is more long-lasting and was also referred to by Mr Sharif when he advocated withdrawal. Well, much kudos to him with the fervent prayer that the governments of India and Pakistan have the good sense to immediately open talks on all outstanding issues, Siachen particularly.

However, while we do know that there are hidebound bureaucrats and baboos, both civilian and military on both sides who will pull objections to any talks of peace out of their hats, it is time that the elected governments take the initiative and do the right thing. I might add that whilst many might think that COAS Kayani’s call for an understanding on Siachen is over-stepping his authority, I personally welcome what he said. Is this a sign that the army brass is also now thinking with an open mind? I sincerely hope so.

And now a little on my recent article in this paper on the army’s proposed FM 96 (‘Monkey business’ April 18, 2011). Of 52 comments, 33 are supportive of my stand, 15 against, and 4 neither here nor there. Some of the 15 against read just like the usual defence of the Deep State with details that would not be available to lay readers, and obviously contrived bad spellings to make one believe that they are genuine. How many times must one say to these propagandists: ‘Been there done that’?!

Anyway, for those who want to equate FM 96 with the American forces radio let me quote from the website of the American Forces Radio and Television Service:

(Quote): Purpose/Mission: AFRTS is the American Forces Radio and Television Service, also known as the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service. It is part of the Department of Defense, and is headquartered at Fort George Meade Maryland. The AFRTS mission is to communicate Department of Defense policies, priorities, programs, goals and initiatives. AFRTS provides stateside radio and television programming, “a touch of home,” to US service men and women, DoD civilians, and their families serving outside the continental United States.

Vision: The AFRTS vision is to provide multi-channel broadcast quality radio and television services and expanded internal information products to all DoD members and their families stationed overseas, on contingency operations, and onboard Navy ships around the world.

Heritage: Since 1942, when the War Department formally created the Armed Forces Radio Service, thousands of people in the US entertainment industry and the Department of Defense have been associated with AFRTS. They represent the “AFRTS family”...all sharing a relentless dedication to support the morale of US troops overseas. Their legacy is honoured and remembered here.

Wherever our service women and men and their families have been stationed overseas over the years, AFRTS has been there to ease their burden and, if only for a brief moment, bring them home. (Unquote).

Now what is not clear or ambiguous in the Purpose/Mission and Vision of the AFRTS? As is stated clearly, this service is principally meant for US troops and DoD personnel posted abroad! It does not have any news content save what is produced by other stateside media and which is re-run on AFRTS channels. There are no editorial rights, no politics.

I have myself been an aficionado of the AFRTS radio service when I was in Japan in the late 70s, which broadcast only music and news to do directly with service personnel. How I recall the disc jockey Wolfman Jack with his gravelly voice and the great music he played!

Not only is there no comparison with what AFRTS is and what FM-96 hopes to be, we must compare the track record of the American forces brass and our own. Not once has there been a military coup d’état in the United States. Go figure. And kill FM-96 now, if not sooner.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 20th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Kayani seconds my Siachen withdrawal stance: Nawaz Sharif</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/367051/kayani-seconds-my-siachen-withdrawal-stance-nawaz-sharif</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/367051/kayani-seconds-my-siachen-withdrawal-stance-nawaz-sharif#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 19 Apr 12 15:55:09 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[abdul.manan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=367051</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Says that if Pakistan withdrew troops, India would definitely reciprocate.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)’s President Nawaz Sharif, who came under fire for his call for a unilateral withdrawal from the Siachen Glacier, said on Thursday that the Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani has supported his stance.

Addressing a press conference in Raiwind, Sharif maintained that if Pakistan took the lead in withdrawing troops from the glacier then India would definitely withdraw its troops.

Responding to a question he said that Kayani had seconded his statement. Sharif, though refrained from commenting on Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik’s comments on his statement. Instead, the former Prime Minister chose to remind everyone the circumstances leading up to his ouster from Islamabad, and subsequently Pakistan in 1999.

“Considering my political career as two time prime minister, everyone should trust my opinion as I believe that if we withdraw the Army from Siachen, India would definitely withdraw it too,” adding that taking an initiative would force both the countries to sit together and resolve the issue.

Earlier on Wednesday, Kayani had said that Pakistan wants the resolution of the Siachen issue and other matters with India, but he stopped short of advocating for a unilateral withdrawal.

Sharif's statements though came under fire from the Interior Minister who declared that every inch of Pakistan was sovereign and that even if there was a withdrawal, it would never be unilateral.]]>
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			<title>No change in Pakistan's Siachen policy: Foreign Office</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/367021/no-change-in-pakistans-siachen-policy-foreign-office</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/367021/no-change-in-pakistans-siachen-policy-foreign-office#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 19 Apr 12 09:57:38 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=367021</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[FO spokesman says secretary-level defence talks will take place between the two countries.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Pakistan’s policy on the Siachen issue has not changed and it is ready to talk to India over all controversial aspects, the Foreign Office said on Thursday.

Foreign Office Spokesman Muazzam Ali Khan, during a weekly briefing, said that secretary-level defence talks with India will be held in Islamabad, but no date has been decided yet. He added that the Siachen issue is part of the talks, and demanded that India retreat back to the pre-1984 position.

The Foreign Office spokesman further said that no new soldiers are being deployed to Siachen.

A recent avalanche in Siachen resulted in the death of more than 100 Pakistan soldiers, building up pressure on both the countries to withdraw troops from the "world's highest battlefield".

Commenting on the re-opening of Nato supply routes, Khan said that no final decision has been taken in the matter but the defence committee has allowed the formation of a work-plan, and the decision will be taken only in the perspective of the parliament’s resolution.]]>
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			<title>India lauds Pakistan's statement on demilitarising Siachen</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/367009/india-lauds-pakistans-statement-on-demilitarising-siachen</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/367009/india-lauds-pakistans-statement-on-demilitarising-siachen#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 19 Apr 12 08:47:21 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=367009</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Indian Minister of State for Defence MM Pallam Raju says he is pleased with the statement.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The Indian government on Thursday welcomed Pakistan’s statement on resolving the Siachen issue, with the Indian Minister of State for Defence MM Pallam Raju saying he is pleased with the statement, Express News reported.

The statement from the Indian government came after army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, in an unusually candid talk with the media, joined the debate about the human and financial cost of fighting in an uninhabitable area – suggesting that the Pakistan Army was in favour of demilitarising Siachen, which is also dubbed the world’s highest battleground.

He had said that Pakistan and India should resolve all outstanding disputes with each other, including Kashmir and Siachen, through dialogue.

Earlier, in a similar statement, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had also advised the Pakistani government to take the lead and withdraw its troops from Siachen Glacier where 138 troops and civilians were buried by a massive avalanche over a week ago.

Correction: An earlier version of this article had incorrectly attributed a statement by Indian Minister of State for Defence, MM Pallam Raju to the Indian Defence Minister AK Antony. The correction has been made.]]>
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			<title>Siachen tragedy: Ground penetrating radars deployed to Gayari</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/366972/desolation-of-pakistan-avalanche-site</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/366972/desolation-of-pakistan-avalanche-site#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 19 Apr 12 05:33:32 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[The search goes on, with bulldo­zers and mechan­ical excava­tors plough­ing throug­h the debris.]]>
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				<![CDATA[According to statement issued by the Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) on Thursday, in order to further aid the search and rescue operation, ground penetrating radars (GPR) along with experts have been sent to Gayari.

The Norwegian rescue team has carried out a survey of the area and is currently preparing a map for guidance.

Meanwhile the search operation was in progress at all sites, involving 495 persons, including 83 civilians along with 29 heavy machines (dumpers, bulldozers, excavators etc).

Half a dozen tattered yellow flags poke from a huge boulder-strewn expanse of gravel and ice. They mark where the buildings of Gayari army base once stood.

In the early hours of April 7, thousands of tonnes of ice, rock and snow crashed down onto the camp, the battalion headquarters of the sixth Northern Light Infantry 4,000 metres (13,000 feet) up in the mountains of Kashmir.

The disaster that entombed 140 people has been described as an avalanche, but the dense, rocky rubble that now covers the camp to a depth of around 60 metres (200 feet) looks more like the aftermath of a landslide.

The army has been searching for the 129 soldiers and 11 civilians buried at the remote Gayari site for nearly two weeks and they insist they have not yet given up hope of finding survivors.

But it is almost impossible to imagine anyone surviving even the initial impact of such a weight of rock and ice, one of the boulders carried down the mountainside onto the site measures at least 30 metres across and 20 metres high.

Yet the search goes on, with bulldozers and mechanical excavators, looking like children's toys against the immense mountains, ploughing through the debris.

Faced with the featureless expanse of ice and rock more than a square kilometre (third of a square mile) in area, search teams used army records to work out where camp buildings stood, marking them with yellow flags, to concentrate their efforts there.

Brigadier Saqib Mahmood Malik, the Siachen brigade commander, said his soldiers were desperate to help their comrades.

"We don't need morale or motivation. Merely that our colleagues are under it -- that is the source of motivation to get them out. I really don't have to push my men to do this job," he told AFP.

The soldiers' indefatigability in the face of daunting challenges - sub-zero temperatures, daily blizzards, constant threat of further avalanches - is admirable, but one dismissed the idea of praise.

"For you it's impressive, but for us it's an enormous tragedy," he told AFP.

There is no question the task the rescuers face is overwhelming - no visible trace remains of the base, which stood on the site since 1988 and was regarded as a very low avalanche risk.

It is as if the desolate, saw-tooth peaks that loom dizzyingly over Gayari tired of their human tenants and with a single terrifying sweep returned the site to the barren grey-brown monochrome of the rest of the valley.

Gayari sits just below the Siachen Glacier, known as the "world's highest battlefield", where Pakistani and Indian troops have faced off in unimaginably harsh conditions since the 1980s.

Both countries expend huge resources maintaining troops at altitudes of up to 6,000 metres and questions have been raised about the value of defending such harsh terrain -- and the environmental impact on a delicate glacial ecosystem.

Waste from military camps is a major problem, environmental experts say, leaching poisonous chemicals into the glacier and threatening to pollute water systems that millions of people across the subcontinent depend upon.

The Siachen feeds into the Indus River and army chief General Ashfaq Kayani acknowledged the ecological damage the ongoing standoff was wreaking.

"We understand the physical deployment of troops, that glaciers get affected, the environment gets affected," he said on Wednesday after visiting Gayari.

"It does not affect only the Indus River -- it affects the environment of this region and it affects in some ways the environment of the world.

"If there's no other reason I think this is one good enough reason that this area should not be militarised."

Since the conflict flared in 1984, more lives have been lost to the cold weather and treacherous conditions than combat. It remains to be seen whether the Gayari tragedy will be enough to bring the men down from the mountain.]]>
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			<title>Indo-Pak disputes: In the chill of Siachen, Kayani warms up to peace</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/366803/indo-pak-disputes-in-the-chill-of-siachen-kayani-warms-up-to-peace</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/366803/indo-pak-disputes-in-the-chill-of-siachen-kayani-warms-up-to-peace#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 19 Apr 12 00:34:24 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[sumera.khan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=366803</guid>
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				<![CDATA[Says country should spend less on defence, focus on welfare of the people.]]>
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				<![CDATA[In an unusually candid talk with the media on Wednesday, army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani joined the debate about the human and financial cost of fighting in an uninhabitable area – suggesting that the Pakistan Army was in favour of demilitarising Siachen, dubbed the world’s highest battleground.

He said that Pakistan and India should resolve all outstanding disputes with each other, including Kashmir and Siachen, through dialogue.

Speaking at Skardu airport after visiting the remote Gayari base, where he accompanied President Asif Ali Zardari on day 12 of the search operation in the sector, the general said the high cost and environmental impact were good reasons why the area should not be militarised.

“Peaceful coexistence between the two neighbours is very important so that everybody can concentrate on the well-being of the people,” he told reporters. He hastened to add that Pakistan’s desire for peace “should not be misread as weakness.”

However, asked about Nawaz Sharif’s comment that Pakistan should take the lead in pulling out its troops from the inhabitable climes of Siachen, Gen Kayani said: “I do not want to answer the questions raised by Nawaz Sharif; the world knows why we are sitting in Siachen; Pakistan is not willingly staying in Siachen as we placed our forces in response to India.”

Defence spending

The army chief went on to add that he would like to see the country spend less on defence, adding that even though soldiers would do their duty come what may, defending borders should not be the country’s sole priority.

“We in the army understand very well that there should be a very good balance between defence and development. You cannot be spending on defence alone and forgetting about development,” he said.

“Ultimately, the security of a country is not only that you secure boundaries and borders but it is when people that live in the country feel happy, their needs are being met. Only in that case will a country be truly safe,” Kayani said, adding that national security should be a comprehensive concept.

“And therefore we would like to spend less on defence, definitely,” he said. “Any country should do the same – more focus should be on the welfare of the people.”

Kayani also stressed the urgency of halting the damage to the environment caused by troop deployment on the Siachen Glacier.

“Ultimately it’s going to affect the River Indus adversely and we understand water is important and water management is very important,” he said.

Zardari’s visit to Giari 

Earlier, President Zardari was accompanied by General Kayani to Giari base, where the supreme commander of the armed forces expressed solidarity with the military personnel and rescue teams searching for the 138 soldiers and civilians buried under an avalanche nearly two weeks ago.

The visit comes a day after Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif travelled to Skardu and conducted an aerial survey of the avalanche site.

The president and army chief were also given an aerial view of the avalanche site where rescue operations are currently in full throttle. Later, the president was given a detailed briefing about the rescue activities underway by Force Command Northern Areas Commander Major-Gen Ikramul Haq.

President Zardari appreciated the efforts that were being made by the army and paid tribute to the buried soldiers.

“The whole nation is indebted to these sons of the soil and prays for them from the very core of their hearts,” the president said, adding that all available resources should be utilised to further expedite the operation.

On April 7, a huge wall of snow crashed into the remote Giari sector base, where the 6th Northern Light Infantry Battalion had been stationed, smothering an area of one square kilometre and burying at least 124 soldiers and 14 civilians. More than 450 rescuers have been working in sub-zero temperatures at the site, which is at an altitude of around 4,000 metres, though experts have said there is little chance of finding any survivors. (WITH INPUT FROM WIRES)

Published in The Express Tribune, April 19th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Malik castigates Nawaz Sharif for 'unilateral' Siachen withdrawal</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/366897/malik-castigates-nawaz-sharif-for-unilateral-siachen-withdrawal</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/366897/malik-castigates-nawaz-sharif-for-unilateral-siachen-withdrawal#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 18 Apr 12 22:48:07 +0500</pubDate>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=366897</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Announces wide ranging reforms. Admits to intelligence failure in Bannu jailbreak. Asks Afghanistan to seal border.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Wednesday said that every inch of the country is sacred and Pakistan will never withdraw its army from Siachin unilaterally.

Talking to media after chairing a high level meeting, he castigated Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Chief Nawaz Sharif for suggesting a unilateral withdrawal of Pakistan Army from Siachen. The icy military post, often dubbed as the world’s highest battleground for its 5700 meters height, has been under the spotlight recently after an avalanche buried nearly 140 soldiers and civilian contractors there.

Malik said Pakistan will not initiate the withdrawal process, however it remained in favour of resolving the issue through negotiations.

The high level meeting reviewed law and order situation and security of prisons in light of a raid on the Bannu central prison on Sunday. The meeting was attended by Secretary Interior, Additional Secretary Interior, Provincial Home Secretaries, IGs, IG Prisons, IG FC and representatives of law enforcement agencies. The meeting decided several measures for enhancing security of prisons and improving performance of the staff.

After Bannu, jails get much needed reforms      

Addressing the meeting, Malik said the salaries and perks of prisons staff would be made at par with regular police. Jails would be categorised as 'A', 'B' and 'C' and security cover would be determined as per category of the prison. A high power Jail Reform committee was also been constituted. Secretary Interior will head the committee, home secretaries and respective IGs would be the members of the committee. The committee has been assigned to report within four weeks, he said.

Security scanners would be installed in jails. Call record of prisoners would be maintained. Pakistan Ordinance Factories Wah would be asked to provide weapons to prison police on deferred payments. National Police Academy will provide training facilities to 150 to 200 master trainers of prison police. A quick reaction force would also be established in the vicinity of jails.

They decided that Rangers and or Frontier Constabulary would be deployed at the Adiala jail. Meanwhile, prison service would be declared as essential service. Financial packages would be offered to the jail officials who sacrifice their lives in line of duty.

In a move to minimise court house escapes, all ATA cases would be heard inside prisons.

Malik directed NADRA to conduct survey and scrutinise identity of all prisoners in the country for compilation of personal database of prisoners. He added that a summery would be moved soon to the Prime Minister for providing service cadre to jail officials.

A No-Objection Certificate for installing jammers in prisons was also issued.

Responding to a question, he admitted that Bannu Jail incident was intelligence failure.

Additionally he asked Afghanistan to seal the border with Pakistan.]]>
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			<title>Nawaz Sharif on Siachen</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/366502/nawaz-sharif-on-siachen</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/366502/nawaz-sharif-on-siachen#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 18 Apr 12 20:14:47 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[editorial]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Editorial]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=366502</guid>
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				<![CDATA[Nawaz Sharif has rightly chosen wisdom rather than ‘national honour’ by advising “unilateral” withdrawal from Siachen.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The PML-N leader, Nawaz Sharif, has visited the Gayari sector of the Siachen Glacier to express his solidarity with the Pakistani troops performing duty there and to commiserate with them over the victims of the April 7 avalanche. He delivered a statesmanlike opinion about what Pakistan should do to prevent future tragedies. He said: “the Pakistani government should take the lead and withdraw its troops from the Siachen Glacier; let’s not make it a matter of ego. Pakistan should take the initiative”.

Mr Sharif should know a little bit more about the issue of Siachen than others because in 1999, as prime minister, he suffered the humiliation of a botched offensive — the Kargil Operation — to get the Indians down from the Glacier. It is clear that he no longer buys the military argument that focuses on the revisionist strategy of responding to challenge with counterchallenge. No one in the world approves of what India and Pakistan are doing at 21,000 feet, losing their soldiers to frostbite and avalanches. Common sense says if Pakistan climbs down, it will lose nothing.

Neither would the skies fall if Pakistan gets the Indians to climb down by agreeing on a map with the current placement of troops on both sides. On TV, an ex-general lost his cool when this was put to him, but his response was more emotional than rational. Just because Pakistani troops are at a lower height than the Indians he lost sight of the fact that India will come down from an area where human life is not tenable; and if Pakistan-India relations improve, there will be no need for anyone to return to Siachen. In 1962, India fought a war with China after the Chinese built a road through Aksai Chin, a part of the Kashmir territory under Indian control. The former lost the war but learned the futility of fighting for a ‘strategically unimportant’ piece of frozen real estate. Now India’s trade with China is worth $100 billion.

India began by first redefining the Aksai Chin territory it lost to China as ‘territory of no strategic value’. Then it took the stance of  ‘isolating’ the dispute over this territory while moving in the direction of normalisation with China in the 1980s. Pakistan became upset when China rewarded India by supplying it with heavy water. It periodically gets upset in editorials in the national press when a fresh China-India effort at normalisation comes to fruition.

Ashley J Tellis in his India’s Emerging Nuclear Posture (OUP, 2001) tells us that India has rationalised its anti-status quo stance by unofficially accepting that the territory it lost in Aksai Chin in the Jammu and Kashmir sector was of more strategic value to China (because of the route connecting it with Tibet) than to India. It has ‘compensated’ itself with the thought that the 90,000 kilometre territory claimed by China in Arunachal Pradesh in north-eastern India was still under India’s effective control and was of more strategic value to India. This ‘adjustment’ has allowed India to normalise trade relations with China and minimise its contradictions with its militarily and much-superior neighbour in the north.

The Indian army is interested in the big budget it receives for being on Siachen — a million dollars a day — and has linked its presence there to glacier research, which it says will help in exploring the South Pole for minerals, and possibly oil.

Our army is brave but why should it prove right the adage that it is better to be “unbrave” because it teaches us to live on the basis of wisdom rather than emotion.

Also, after visiting the Gayari site, army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani in response to questions from journalists said that the army was at Siachen because of India’s actions — but that both India and Pakistan needed to resolve the issue so that resources could be used elsewhere.

Mr Nawaz Sharif has rightly chosen wisdom rather than ‘national honour’ by advising a “unilateral” withdrawal from Siachen. He remembers the year 1999 when his approach to India was sabotaged by  ‘freedom-fighters’ at Kargil. A ‘nuclear’ Pakistan erred by waging a conventional war and endangered the world and was roundly condemned by all countries. Now let us earn some praise.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 19th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Towards a Siachen peace park</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/366583/towards-a-siachen-peace-park</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/366583/towards-a-siachen-peace-park#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 18 Apr 12 18:29:56 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[ahmad.rafay.alam]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[The waste produced at the Glacier feeds the Nubra River, then flows into Shyok River and eventually joins the Indus.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The avalanche that engulfed the Gayari camp located on the Siachen Glacier, burying 124 soldiers and 14 civilians, is a national tragedy. It has also brought attention to the Siachen Glacier conflict and questions are now rightly being asked of the tactical and strategic importance of having troops posted on the world’s highest battlefield.

Nawaz Sharif has called for Pakistan to be sensible and to withdraw its troops from Siachen. This is the first time I can think of a mainstream Pakistani politician (and former prime minister) calling for a troop withdrawal with respect to India.

For a number of years now, several academics and environmental activists, have been arguing that the environment can be an effective means of conflict resolution. Specifically, he has been advocating for both sides to declare the Siachen Glacier a peace park. He is not alone. Civil society, opinion makers and academics from around the world have been advocating the same.

The IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas has nearly 200 transboundary protected areas. The UNESCO world heritage list identifies important natural heritage. There are also numerous examples of transboundary management of contiguous protected areas where countries have joined hands for the preservation of the environment. There are too many instances to list here, but noteworthy examples are the cooperatively managed Indian Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary and Rann of Kutch Wildlife Sanctuaries. Even Israel, Egypt and Jordan have recognised the paramount importance of the environment and have agreed to jointly manage the marine ecosystem near the Sharm-el Sheikh Peninsula.

There is good reason to be concerned about the environment in Siachen. It is the world’s largest non-polar glacier and sits — along with the other glaciers of the Hindukush, Karakoram and the Himalayan ranges — on the earth’s Third Pole: the waters of these glaciers provide food and drinking water to nearly one billion people. Both India and Pakistan are extremely vulnerable to climate change and face similar food and water security issues. Meanwhile, Siachen has turned into the world’s highest waste dump as none of the supplies, food, oil, equipment — and quite often soldiers — ever return. The IUCN has estimated that the Indian occupation of the Glacier results in about 2,000 pounds of human waste being dumped into it every day. Information about the Pakistani side is tough to come by, but Colonel (retd) Tahir Kardar told me that it includes a helicopter that landed, froze and could never be salvaged.

The human occupation of Siachen is an environmental hazard.  The effects of climate change on glaciers is a subject of topical concern, but little research on Siachen has been undertaken because of security issues. The waste produced at the Glacier feeds the Nubra River and then flows into the Shyok River and eventually joins the Indus.

In an excellent paper published in the Stanford Law Review, Neal A Kemkar set out strong grounds for legal intervention because of these environmental concerns. Both India and Pakistan are signatories to the Rio Declaration of 1992, which states that “States shall … respect international law providing for the environment in times of armed conflict”.  Both countries are also signatories to the Hague Conventions, Geneva Convention and Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification, which all stress on the four fundamental principles armed conflict must follow: necessity, proportionality, selectivity and humanity. The Siachen Glacier dispute, in terms of lives and money cost versus strategic benefit obtained, fails on these counts.

Both countries also have robust environmental rights and laws. The Supreme Courts of both countries recognise the fundamental rights of citizens to a clean and healthy environment, as well as access to unpolluted water. Both countries also have legislation that protects the environment.  However, the problem with the legislation is that it is of the ’command and control’ variety, in that it sets limits for pollution in industry and then enforces those limits. However, neither state has an industry on Siachen to command or control. The Glacier is in the control of the armed forces and the governments of India and Pakistan do not have control over the Siachen ecosystem. Herein lies the problem.

Both countries can make enormous headway using the environment as a platform of exchange. The platform is uncorrupted by Kashmir, the war on terror or other issues that form the composite dialogue. A declaration or accord recognising both countries’ commitment to protecting the environment and acknowledging the challenges of climate change could easily pave the way for a Siachen peace park management system, where elected representatives from either side act as co-chairs along with representatives from the armed forces and an international NGO (such as the IUCN or the WWF), and line ministries could set about demilitarising the Glacier and preparing a transition of control from the military to environment managers. The international goodwill that would be generated by such an act could also be leveraged by either country to its advantage.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 19th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Pakistan wants resolution of Siachen issue: Kayani</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/366395/siachen-tragedy-zardari-kayani-visit-giari-sector</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/366395/siachen-tragedy-zardari-kayani-visit-giari-sector#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 18 Apr 12 09:11:41 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=366395</guid>
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				<![CDATA[President, army chief and interior minister visit Giari sector, witness ongoing rescue operation.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has said that Pakistan wants the resolution of the Siachen issue and other matters with India. 

Kayani, who was speaking to the media during a visit to Giari sector, said that neighbours should live together peacefully.

The army chief was visiting the area along with President Asif Ali Zardari, where both were briefed about rescue operations to search for 138 troops and civilians who were buried by a massive avalanche over a week ago.

The army chief also said that, “We will pay whatever cost we have to for the defence of Pakistan”.

Zardari and Kayani were also accompanied by Interior Minister Rehman Malik. He was received by Governor Gilgit-Baltistan Pir Karam Ali Shah, Chief Minister Syed Mehdi Shah, Kayani and the area Corp Commander.

The president during his visit had an aerial view of the search and rescue activities being undertaken by the army personnel. Later he was given a detailed briefing about the activities underway by Force Command Northern Areas (FCNA) Commander Major Gen Ikramul Haq.

He directed that all available resources be utilised to further expedite the operation in view of any possible snow slides due to a rise in temperature rise and that the Presidency be kept informed about the progress.

On April 7, a giant wall of snow crashed down in the Giari sector, swamping the battalion headquarters of 6 Northern Light Infantry, where 124 soldiers and 14 civilians were stationed. Rescuers have yet to pull out a single person, dead or alive.

Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif had visited the site on Tuesday and had called on both Pakistan and India to climb down from the icy battlefield. He had advised the Pakistani government to take the lead and withdraw its troops from Siachen Glacier.

He had also given away cheques for Rs 500,000 to each aggrieved family and announced that the Punjab government will provide a job to each affected family and finance the education of their children.]]>
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			<title>World’s highest battleground: Pakistan should lead Siachen troop pullout, says Nawaz</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/366272/world%e2%80%99s-highest-battleground-pakistan-should-lead-siachen-troop-pullout-says-nawaz</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/366272/world%e2%80%99s-highest-battleground-pakistan-should-lead-siachen-troop-pullout-says-nawaz#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Apr 12 22:23:56 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[shabbir.mir]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=366272</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[PML-N chief calls on both countries to invest money spent on war towards the people.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has advised the Pakistani government to take the lead and withdraw its troops from Siachen Glacier where 138 troops and civilians were buried by a massive avalanche over a week ago.


On April 7, a giant wall of snow crashed down in the Giari sector, swamping the battalion headquarters of 6 Northern Light Infantry, where 124 soldiers and 14 civilians were stationed. Nine days on, rescuers have yet to pull out a single person, dead or alive.

The tragedy swung a spotlight onto the 65-year-old conflict between Pakistan and India, and ignited debates on the futility of the battle on ‘Earth’s ceiling’ for over two decades.

“Let’s not make it a matter of ego. Pakistan should take the initiative,” Sharif told journalists after surveying the Giari sector where a massive rescue operation is under way.

Senior leaders of his Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) – including Senator Mushahidullah, Marvi Memon, Mehtab Abbasi and Pervez Rasheed – accompanied Sharif.

Sharif advised both Pakistan and India to climb down from the icy battlefield, resolve the festering dispute and then spend the billions of rupees they would save on the welfare of their impoverished people.

He recalled that, during his stint as prime minister, he had launched a dialogue with then-Indian premier Atal Behari Vajpayee to resolve the Siachen issue. He called upon the incumbent governments in both countries to follow up on that in the “larger interest of humanity”.

In Skardu, the PML-N chief also spent time with the families of soldiers trapped under the snow and enquired about their issues.

He paid tribute to soldiers for defending the country’s frontiers. He also gave away cheques for Rs 500,000 to each aggrieved family.

He announced that the Punjab government will provide a job to each affected family and finance the education of their children.

Rescue operation 

Meanwhile, toxic gases hampered the search for the trapped soldiers, as American and Norwegian experts reached the site to help the operations.

Rescuers have dug tunnels in the hard mass of snow and ice to try to reach the buried soldiers and civilians, but toxic gases have built up inside one of them, the military said in a statement.

A rise in the temperature has increased the risk of further snow slides, the statement said, forcing workers on the site to take extra precautions. Specialist teams from Norway and the United States arrived at Giari, while Swiss and German teams have returned home after helping the efforts.

Search teams are looking for the trapped soldiers and civilians at six different points.

More than 450 rescuers are working at the site, though experts have said there is virtually no chance of finding any survivors.

Gilgit unrest

PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif also spoke about targeted attacks on the Shia community in Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan and denounced the PPP-led government for its failure to stem the tide of sectarian violence in the country’s troubled spots.

The authorities had clamped a curfew in Gilgit town following a deadly bout of sectarian violence on April 3. But Sharif said curfew was not a solution to the problem. He said that the government should have brought the rival sects to the negotiating table to ensure durable peace in the region.

(Read : Siachen — the facts)

(with additional reporting by sumera khan in islamabad)

Published in The Express Tribune, April 18th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Vacate Siachen, already</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/366071/vacate-siachen-already</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/366071/vacate-siachen-already#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Apr 12 19:33:59 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[farrukh.khan.pitafi]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=366071</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[It’s about time, then, that sane people slap some sense into their leaders and force them to vacate the region.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The flight was approaching Skardu Airport. Cameramen in the C-130 plane were glued to its windows to capture the first step in the journey. From Skardu, we were supposed to travel by air to Goma base and from there, by road to Gayari, Siachen. It was there, ready to be touched and the next moment it was gone. Bad weather forced us all to go back and hence concluded the Inter-Services Public Relations-organised trip to Siachen, which was to be attempted again at another time. Of course, one point was made automatically. When it is so difficult to even make it there, imagine how taxing the rescue efforts must be in the minus 15 degree-temperature of Gayari.

But as our flight touched back on the tarmac in Rawalpindi, there was no end to my flight of fancy. In the Bizzaro World, we would have made it to our destination already. But then, in the Bizzaro World, the purpose of the visit would have been much more pleasant. The media has recently been bitterly criticised for its failure to cover the Gayari incident, where 138 jawans and civilians were buried alive due to an avalanche. Thus, the genuine sentiment was to brave the atrocious climate and express solidarity with the victims and their families. Meanwhile, I was asking myself what I would say to the camera once we made it there. If truth be told, I wanted to be silent, to weep, to cry and curse the stupidity of the South Asian Siamese twins who cannot live without each other and yet, never tire of fighting.

Of course, generals on both sides of the border have been so hell bent on showing off their machismo that they end up sending a huge number of soldiers to their deaths in Siachen. No, they have to show each other how their boys play games of life and death at these excruciating heights and build the world’s highest helipads and check posts. So to them this shouldn’t be a great loss. But wait a minute. Our side has not stopped its search and rescue efforts even when all hope of survival seems likely to have been lost. Could it be a bit of remorse and regret? Could it be that the same sentiment exists on the other side of the border, too?

As I said earlier, such tragedies are not new to the generals on both sides of the Line of Control and the Actual Ground Position Line, even if the magnitude this time was unprecedented. While some members on our side continue to hair-split and try finding evidence of Indian wrongdoing in the entire episode, the evidence of malfeasance of both sides is not hidden.

Is it not plain that both India and Pakistan have taken their forces to heights where they were not supposed to go? It is like invading the water storage tank of your own house and poisoning it out of fear that an enemy might also use the water.

It is no longer about your soldiers only, sirs, even though their suffering is unbearable too. You are destroying the future of your children, their future generations and the entire world’s population. Melting glaciers will one day inundate your homes and starve your children. It’s about time, then, that sane people slap some sense into their leaders and force them to vacate the region. No human presence there. Not even a peace park, please.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 18th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>DCC meeting: Prayers offered for men trapped under snow in Gayari sector</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/366033/dcc-meeting-prayers-offered-for-men-trapped-under-snow-in-gayari-sector</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/366033/dcc-meeting-prayers-offered-for-men-trapped-under-snow-in-gayari-sector#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Apr 12 16:12:32 +0500</pubDate>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=366033</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Gilani says Parliamentary oversight gives people owner ship of foreign policy, establishes mutual respect, interests.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The defence committee of the cabinet (DCC) convened under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Tuesday with the ongoing rescue operation in Gayari sector of Siachen at the top of the agenda.

After members offered prayers for those trapped under several feet of snow, it went over the details of the tragic incident and of rescue efforts.

The meeting is being attended by the Ministers of Defense, Foreign Affairs, Interior, Information, the CJCSC, Services Chiefs, PSPM, Secretaries of the cabinet and defense, Foreign Affairs,  Director General Inter-Services Intelligence, Director General Military Operations, and Director General Intelligence Bureau.

It was decided during the DCC meeting to appeal to the nation for observing Yom-e-Dua on Friday, April 20, 2012, in which special prayers would be offered for the well being and safety of the army personnel and civilians trapped in  Gayari sector.

Earlier, the DG MO gave the Prime Minister and other DCC members a detailed briefing about the tragic incident and efforts in the ongoing rescue operation.

In his opening statement, the Prime Minister said that the DCC’s meeting convened today to consider the recommendations of the Parliament that were finalised on Thursday, 12 April, 2012.

Terming the Parliamentary review process as an “unprecedented development which marks a new milestone in Pakistan’s progress along the path of democracy,” the Prime Minister said that the review has allowed Pakistan to establish bilateral ties with US on mutual respect and mutual interests.

The Prime Minister stated relations with US, NATO/ISAF were put on hold until the Parliament took a clear position on how to proceed forward under the new terms of engagement.

“In my view,” Gilani said, “the parliamentary review and oversight would not only give public ownership to Pakistan’s foreign and security policies but also help strengthen the hands of the government in dealing with the international community on issues of greater national importance.”

Secondly, the exercise has given the nation a unique opportunity to set right our bilateral relationship with the United States on the basis of mutual respect and mutual interest, the Prime Minister added.

“The message from the Parliament – Yes to partnership - but not at the cost of our sovereignty, carefully calibrated roadmap of engagement,” the Prime Minister maintained.

The Prime Minister said, we now need to move beyond review adding that during the course of the concluding debate he assured the House that it will be his Government’s endeavour to implement the Parliament’s recommendations with regard to our foreign and security policies both in letter and spirit.

The Prime Minister stated, the US-Pakistan bilateral relationship is an important one and Pakistan must be mindful of its national interest, uphold territorial integrity and national sovereignty.

For this, the Prime Minister said, a roadmap for re-engagement with the United States, negotiation of new terms and conditions for resumption of the Ground Lines of Communication (GLOCs), joint counter-terrorism cooperation, greater inter-agency coordination, transparency in US diplomatic and intelligence footprint in Pakistan, strengthening of border security and non-use of Pakistan’s territory for attacks on other countries and expulsion of all foreign fighters from Pakistan’s territory, are our fundamental policy parameters.]]>
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			<title>Pakistan, India should withdraw troops from Siachen: Sharif</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/365963/pakistan-india-should-withdraw-troops-from-siachen-sharif</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/365963/pakistan-india-should-withdraw-troops-from-siachen-sharif#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Apr 12 10:34:04 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=365963</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[PML-N chief calls on both countries to solve Siachen issue, invest money spent on war towards the people.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday called on Pakistan and India to retract their troops from Siachen glacier, the disputed and undemarcated region of Kashmir.

Sharif, who was speaking during his visit to Giari sector, said that both countries should solve the Siachen issue and the billions of rupees being spent on the war should be directed towards people’s prosperity.

The PML-N leader visited the avalanche site and distributed cheques worth Rs500,000 to the families of the affected military and civilian personnel.

Sharif also announced that the Punjab government will provide jobs to the heirs and will also cover the educational expenses of their children.

He also said that terrorism in the country was proof of the government’s failure, adding that there was no trace of anything like a government in Chilas, Gilgit and Quetta.

A huge wall of snow crashed into the remote Siachen Glacier base high in the mountains in disputed Kashmir more than a week ago, smothering an area of one square kilometre (a third of a square mile).

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			<title>Toxic gases hamper search at Siachen avalanche site</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/365955/toxic-gases-hamper-search-at-siachen-avalanche-site</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/365955/toxic-gases-hamper-search-at-siachen-avalanche-site#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Apr 12 09:12:00 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=365955</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Rescuers dug tunnels in hard mass of snow but toxic gases have built up inside one of them, military says.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Toxic gases Tuesday hampered the search for 138 people buried by an avalanche at a high-altitude Pakistan army camp, as teams from the United States and Norway arrived at the site to help operations.

A huge wall of snow crashed into the remote Siachen Glacier base high in the mountains in disputed Kashmir more than a week ago, smothering an area of one square kilometre (a third of a square mile).

Rescuers have dug tunnels in the hard mass of snow and ice to try to reach the buried soldiers and civilians at the Giari base, but toxic gases have built up inside one of them, the military said in a statement.

A rise in the temperature has increased the risk of further snow slides, the statement said, forcing workers on the site to take extra precautions.

Specialist teams from Norway and the United States arrived at Giari, while Swiss and German teams have returned home after helping the efforts.

Search teams are looking for the trapped soldiers and civilians at six different points on the site, around 4,000 metres (13,000 feet) up in the mountains.

More than 450 rescuers are working at the site near the de facto border with India in the militarised region of Kashmir, though experts have said there is virtually no chance of finding any survivors.

Kashmir has been the cause of two wars between India and Pakistan and the rivals fought over Siachen in 1987, though guns on the glacier have largely fallen silent since a peace process began in 2004.]]>
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			<title>Avalanche tragedy — Day 10: Inclement weather forces president to cancel visit</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/365831/avalanche-tragedy-%e2%80%94-day-10-inclement-weather-forces-president-to-cancel-visit</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/365831/avalanche-tragedy-%e2%80%94-day-10-inclement-weather-forces-president-to-cancel-visit#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Apr 12 03:44:28 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[sumera.khan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=365831</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Media team of 46 members unable to land in Skardu.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Inhospitable weather on Monday forced President Asif Ali Zardari to cancel his trip to Gyari, an avalanche tragedy in Siachen, as day 10 posed serious climatic difficulties for rescuers.


President Zardari was planning to visit the Gyari sector – where an avalanche struck at a Pakistan Army camp on April 7 and buried 138 people including troops and civilians – to inspect the rescue operation being spearheaded by the military with assistance from international rescuers.

The President’s staff was informed about the deteriorating weather conditions in Skardu and the visit was called off. Spokesperson to the President Senator Farhatullah Babar confirmed that the president was due to visit Gyari to express solidarity with the “defenders of the frontiers” but his trip was cancelled due to “unsuitable weather conditions”.

Similarly, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani is also waiting for the approval of aviation authorities to give weather clearance for a trip to the Siachen Glacier.

Meanwhile, a group comprising 46 members from national and international media teams that was set to fly for the rescue site could not land at the Skardu airport on Monday due to harsh weather.

The control tower informed aviation authorities that landing of a C-130 military cargo plane would be a dangerous step as more than 55 personnel were onboard including media and plane crew.

Media representatives had been asking for this visit from day one of the Siachen tragedy but weather hazards persisted and the trip did not materialise.

An Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) official said that they tried their best to take the media team to Siachen and even reached Skardu but the weather was too hostile for a chopper flight. It was then decided that a C-130 cargo plane would be used. The military official said that the visit was called off and would be reorganised keeping in mind the weather reports.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Meteorological Office has predicted more rain and thunderstorm in the next 24 hours in Gilgit-Baltistan and the surroundings areas.

Rescue operation

Despite the obstacles posed by the weather, the search and rescue operation at Gyari continued round the clock on the tenth day.

According to a press release issued by the military’s media cell on Monday, weather remained “very harsh” and posed serious challenges to the men and machines working at the avalanche site.

“However, the spirit and zeal of courageous soldiers has not wavered under arduous conditions,” read the statement.

It was revealed that the work at the tunnel – being dug in the compact snow of avalanche, needed to access a suspected structure to find survivors – has made considerable progress by using explosives.

A team of German and Swiss rescuers also assisted the military team in collecting valuable data and information to locate possible survivors.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 17th, 2012.]]>
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			<title>Conferences on Siachen: Sooner than later, withdrawal is a must</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/365717/conferences-on-siachen-sooner-than-later-withdrawal-is-a-must</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/365717/conferences-on-siachen-sooner-than-later-withdrawal-is-a-must#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 16 Apr 12 23:23:06 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[peer.muhammad]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=365717</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Speakers call ‘pointless’ militarisation of glacier a waste of precious human life.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Speakers on Monday called for a unanimous political solution and a bilateral peace agreement to withdraw all troops from Siachen.


There was consensus among the panelists that the loss of lives on the glacier could increase in future if the two governments failed to take timely decisions and make Siachen a ‘peace park’.

These views were expressed by speakers at two different seminars organised on the Siachen issue in light of the recent tragedy in which 138 soldiers and civilian support staff were buried alive by an avalanche. The seminars were held at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) and Kuch Khaas and were organised by the venue hosts.

Dr Qamaruz Zaman Chaudhry, climate affairs advisor for the Government of Pakistan, said that scientific studies reveal that the eastern glaciers are melting more rapidly than glaciers in western regions. He said average temperatures in the northern areas have increased by 0.76 Celsius, with an increase in the frequency of heat waves that adversely affect the environment in the region.

Dr Chaudhry added that the Siachen glacier is under stress from factors such as global warming, black carbon and human military interventions. He said that it would be in the interest of both nations to withdraw forces from Siachen.

Renowned lawyer Ahmer Bilal Soofi said that Siachen is a political issue and is tied to the delineation of the Line of Control (LoC).

Many times in past, he said, Pakistan and India initiated talks on the Siachen issue, but they kept failing when the time to draft an agreement came, usually due to conflicts over the language and contents of any agreement.

He suggested that political and legal experts from both the sides must first deliberate and frame an applicable bilateral agreement for withdrawing forces from the area.

Meanwhile, SDPI Water and Energy Advisor Arshad H Abbasi and an expert on glaciers said that the rise in temperatures on the Siachen glacier is the direct result of large scale military interventions from both sides. He said soldiers on the glacier have used chemicals to melt and cut through the glacial ice to construct bunkers, camps, helipads and airfields.

He rejected the notion that global warming is melting the glacier and cited a NASA report titled “Advancing Glaciers and Positive Mass Anomaly in the Karakoram-Himalaya”, which states that more than 65 per cent of glaciers in the Karakoram range are growing.

An army officer shared his experiences at Siachen, saying that despite weather and health issues, the soldiers’ morale is always high and they are always committed to their mission. “The real enemy is not the person sitting across the LoC, but the weather, which envelopes a person from every side,” the officer said.

He narrated that soldiers cannot communicate with their families from Siachen sector for many months and are often unable to even bathe for two months at a time.

Besides the freezing temperature, he said, frustration is all time high due to the isolation and often causes scuffles among brothers in arms.

He shared that they often talked with their Indian counterparts at the Siachen sector on duty and even exchanged dishes and gifts on some occasions. “But you don’t know how and when things change in the military, as a war zone is always a war zone and we don’t know when orders will come. It is a question of survival, and the winner is the one who manages to survive.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 17th, 2012. ]]>
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