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| Without agreement India cannot accept Zardari's offer for withdrawing troops from Siachen | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, July 25: Will India accept Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari's plea for withdrawing troops from both the sides of the Siachen mountain glacier in eastern Ladakh? Indications are that Delhi may not favour unilateral pull out of the troops from the 64-km long glacier situated at an altitude of between 16,000 and 19000 ft above the sea level. Yes India may grab the offer, in view of the mounting expenses it incurs on maintaining its troops on the mountain glacier provided the two sides agree on hammering out a written agreement that with some guarantee from the international agencies, especially the American Government.
Delhi has been always keen to settle the siachen dispute with Pakistan but hitherto Islamabad has not taken any concrete step in pulling out the troops from the glacier area which had remained unmanned undemarcated. Experts say that after the Shimla agreement between Islamabad and Delhi in 1972 the two sides agreed to demarcate the LOC in Jammu and Kashmir. However, the surveyors were not able to carry out demarcation exercise in Siachen and its adjoining areas because of inhospitable terrain. The Pakistani troops took advantage of it and occupied mountain heights in Siachen and the Indian intelligence agency reports, received by the Government of India, had mentioned that the Pakistani forces had intruded into the Siachen area in 1983.
In fact a mountaineering team from the Gulmarg institute of mountain warfare had been on an expedition to the Siachen area in 1983 when the team members spotted the intrusion. The team members, on their return to the base camp, reported the matter to the defence Ministry and the Army authorities. On the basis of these reports the Indian troops were ordered to throw out Pakistani forces that had illegally occupied the Siachen heights. And in 1984 the two sides fought the fiercest gunbattle on the snowy heights. And if not anything else the Indian troops foiled the Pak plan of advancing into the Indian territory from the
Siachen glacier area which could ultimately threaten the safety and security of Ladakh. One cannot dismiss the importance of Siachen on the basis of its inability to produce even a blade of grass. The mountain glacier, if occupied by the Pakistani forces, could facilitate the enemy troops in marching towards Leh and Kargil.
Since 1984 the two sides have fought pitched battles intermittently and it was as a result of the 2003 ceasefire that the mountain glacier did not experience any major skirmishes. But the tension continues forcing India to spend millions of rupees per year on maintaining troops on the glacier. When the Indian troops were moved to the mountain glacier area in 1984 the daily cost on maintenance of troops was about Rs. four crores which after a gap of three years declined to Rs. three crores a day. This clearly indicates the economic bleed India has been suffering because of the mischief committed by Pakistan in 1983 by sending its troops to occupy the undemarcated mountain heights.
With this enormous expenses on maintaining its forces Delhi has been very keen to settle the dispute with Pakistan so that India had not to spend huge sums on the troops after a small platoon was deployed to patrol the area. But whenever Delhi broaches this issue with Islamabad the establishment in Pakistan either wants the Kashmir issue to be settled first or take up the Siachen issue with the Kashmir dispute for discussion. This indicates that Islamabad is not prepared to buy peace with Delhi in Siachen. The reason being simple as has been confirmed by Zardari. Zardari, while making a plea for withdrawal of troops from the mountain glacier, said that India was spending more than Pakistan on maintaining troops on the mountain heights. It seems it is a matter of satisfaction for Pakistan.
Well withdrawing troops from the mountain glacier may equally be beneficial for Pakistan as Islamabad could utilise the forces, deployed on the glacier, for tackling the mance of the Talibans in the country. Apart from this Delhi cannot afford to bank on Zardari's plea or statement because after the present Army Chief, Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, got a three -year extension Delhi has to depend on what Kayani has to offer.
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