India has turned down a Pakistani proposal seeking the immediate demilitarisation of Siachen, the world’s highest battlefield, at the recently held talks between the senior defence officials of the nuclear-armed neighbours in New Delhi.
The two-day talks between the defence secretaries remained inconclusive after India ‘hardened its position’ preventing the resolution of the 26-year-old dispute, a senior Pakistani defence official, who was part of the negotiations, told The Express Tribune.
Requesting anonymity, the official said Pakistan handed over a ‘non-paper’ to India envisaging a clear roadmap for resolution of the longstanding problem. “We have proposed immediate disengagement as a way forward for resolving the dispute,” he added.
However, the Indian side did not agree due to ‘pressure and intransigence of their Army,’ which was not willing to resolve the Siachen dispute to vacate the conflict zone and go back to previously held position, the official insisted.
“Indians give the impression of being flexible in the media but the fact is that they are not willing to resolve the issue,” he explained.
The Siachen conflict began in 1984 when Indian forces launched a successful operation to force Pakistani troops to retreat west of the Saltoro ridge. Since then the two countries fought intermittently in the region as high as 20,000 ft until they agreed on a ceasefire in 2003.
Over 2,000 troops have died from both sides, a majority due to the harsh weather.
India wants Pakistan to authenticate the 110-km actual ground position line (AGPL) along the Siachen Glacier-Saltoro ridge in Jammu and Kashmir, while Islamabad insists reverting back to the pre-1984 position.
According to the US confidential diplomatic cables released recently, the Indian Army was held responsible for the ongoing deadlock with Pakistan over the Siachen dispute.
“On Siachen, Joint Secretary (Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran) T C A Raghavan (who has also served as the Indian Deputy High Commissioner in Pakistan) reported that the Indian army has drawn a line with its political leadership. It has told the government of India that withdrawal was tantamount to ceding the area to Pakistan due to the difficulty of retaking it should Pakistan occupy it,” wrote the New Delhi embassy in September 2008.
Pakistani officials say India fears that reverting back to pre-1984 troops’ position in Siachen will set a wrong precedent and put pressure on it to resolve the festering dispute of Jammu and Kashmir.
An agreement on Siachen was almost reached in 1989 between then Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and her Indian counterpart Rajiv Gandhi.
However, it was widely believed that the final deal could not be sealed due to opposition by the Indian army.
The two sides again came close to striking an agreement on Siachen and Sir Creek during former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf’s regime but political upheaval in Pakistan prevented the historic breakthrough.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 6th, 2011.
COMMENTS (40)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ