Perma-frost between India, Pak over Siachen fails to melt, again

New Delhi: On expected lines given the wide chasm of trust deficit between them, the latest round of talks between the Defence Secretaries of India and Pakistan on demilitarising the icy heights of Siachen failed today with no agreement coming through on the ground positions held.
Sources said the talks veered round the stated positions where India wanted iron-clad guarantees on the authentication of the 110-km Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) in the Saltoro Ridge-Siachen region, and Pakistan insisting on reverting back to the pre-1972 troop positions in the region as agreed in the Simla Agreement. This was the position held by both sides well before the present 12th round of talks began yesterday, informed sources, adding, with either side unwilling to relent on stated positions, the obvious outcome was well known. While at the end of ‘Day One’ talks, discussions on dimilitarisation of Siachen was held in a “constructive framework”, on ‘Day Two’ it limped to “mere discussions” and “stretchy arguments” leading to zero outcome, sources added. The two-day Defence Secretary-level talks which began yesterday were held after a gap of three years. The Pakistani delegation had arrived here on May 29. The Indian delegation comprised Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar, Special Secretary R K Mathur, Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen A M Verma and the Surveyor General S Subha Rao, while the Pakistani side had its Defence Secretary Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ather Ali, Maj Gen Ashfaq Nadeem Ahmed, Maj Gen Munwar Ahmed Solehri and Maj Gen (Retd) Mir Haider Ali Khan. Considered as the world’s highest battlefield, the highly militarised 6,300-metre Siachen glacier in Kashmir where the temperature drops to minus 70 degrees Celsius, has been a long pending issue between both the countries over differences on the location of the 110-km long Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) which passes right through the Soltoro Ridge and Siachen Glacier on the Karkoram ranges. While India, presently holding most of the dominating posts on the Saltoro Ridge and most of the 75-kilometre Siachen glacier since 1987, wants Pakistan to authenticate the AGPL, Pakistan insists on maintaining the pre-1972 troop positions as agreed in the Simla Agreement.The Army wants the existing troop positions marked out to prevent Pakistan from occupying the heights, it presently holds, in the event of a pull-out following a dimilitarisation agreement. Pakistan believes this would not just expose its outposts in the region but also be a tacit acceptance of India’s claims to the entire Siachen region.