The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : A warm welcome in a cold battlefield

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Wednesday, Jun 15, 2005

Opinion

Opinion - Editorials

A warm welcome in a cold battlefield

Manmohan Singh paid a long overdue tribute to the personnel of the Indian armed forces when he became the first Prime Minister to visit the Siachen Glacier. For 21 years, these forces have held ground against an enemy more implacable and lethal than the troops of the opposing army. The high altitude, cold temperatures, and treacherous terrain of the glacier region have taken a far greater toll of life than the artillery shells fired by the Pakistan Army. Over the years, there has been a significant improvement in the quality of equipment supplied to the troops. At the command level, there is a far better understanding of the tactics that will work. Excessively hazardous missions have been avoided for some time. However, despite the ceasefire in place since November 2003, the glacier region remains an extremely dangerous place. The sacrifices made by the soldiers and airmen must be consistently acknowledged at the highest level, especially since these troops carry out their duties for no identifiable military purpose. While these considerations would surely have been on Dr. Singh's mind, the Army leadership must have hoped that the images he gathered during the visit would have a cumulative impact on the formulation of a political approach towards the resolution of the Siachen dispute.

India now appears ready to accept a breakthrough proposal put forward during the fifth round of Defence Secretary-level talks in 1989: it was that the two armies should redeploy to positions each held at the time of the Shimla Agreement. However, the Indian Army insists that it should not be made to vacate the Saltoro ridge flanking the glacier unless the posts it currently holds are recorded on maps authenticated by Pakistan; it is evidently worried its counterpart might be tempted to occupy these posts if there is no bilateral agreement on the Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL). At the sixth round of talks held in 1992, Islamabad indicated that the AGPL could be demarcated on an annexure to the main agreement. But since this annexure was envisaged as a document with no political, legal, or moral force, the proposal falls short of what the Indian Army wants. Prime Minister Singh has shown a rare capability to think outside the loop on India-Pakistan relations. He also knows that an agreement on Siachen will enthuse President Pervez Musharraf to persist with the composite dialogue. While the terrain permits the Pakistan Army to occupy and supply with relative ease any posts it might take over in the Saltoro ridge, there is reason to believe that it would not want to take on the human and financial costs of such an operation. Given these considerations, the United Progressive Alliance Government must press the Army leadership to be open to a reasonable political solution on Siachen. As a professional institution in a democratic system, the Army has a duty to take the lead from the political government while highlighting what is at stake: it will be forbiddingly difficult to retake the Siachen region once it is given up.

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