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Pakistan conveys protest

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Foreign Office said it summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner Manpreet Vohra here on Monday to lodge a protest against the Indian Army’s plans to take tourists for trekking to the Siachen glacier.

The Indian Army said last week that it was taking the first group of trekkers this month to the glacier, located at an altitude of 6,300 metres.

Foreign Office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said Siachen was “illegally occupied” by India in 1984 in violation of the Shimla Agreement. The issue was under discussion within the framework of the composite dialogue between the two countries, and its final status was still not agreed upon.

“The Indian Deputy High Commissioner was called to the Foreign Office today and was told that the Indian plans to open up the disputed territory for tourist purposes is viewed with deep concern,” Ms. Aslam said at her weekly media briefing.

The spokesperson said that Siachen remained a conflict zone, and the reported move by India could vitiate the atmosphere between the two countries.

Mr. Vohra confirmed that the Director-General South Asia in the Pakistan Foreign Office registered a protest with him.

In response, he conveyed India’s position that the entire State of Jammu and Kashmir was an “inalienable” part of the country.

Mr. Vohra said he met the official once or twice every week in the Foreign Office to discuss several issues. Monday’s meeting similarly dealt with many matters and could not be described as “summons,” he said.

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