India mustn't vacate Siachen for the moment
The death of nine Indian soldiers in an avalanche on Siachen glacier on February 3 is, without doubt, tragic and heart-rending. It is also a painful reminder of the absurdity of peace politics on the world's highest battlefield where not a bullet has been fired for more than a decade and yet hundreds have lost their limbs and lives. In 2012, an avalanche in Pakistan's Gayari sector claimed the lives of 129 soldiers and 11 civilian contractors. Expectedly, the February 3 tragedy has once again raised the question of demilitarisation. Does it make any sense to risk so many lives to secure what is nothing more than an icy wastelandIJ The answer to that is a resounding ‘yes’ — for now. The Siachen glacier is strategically crucial for India. The Indian Army controls the formidable western ridge called the Saltoro Ridge which overlooks Gilgit-Baltistan and offers access to the Karakoram Pass, which in turn leads to ladakh and China-controlled Aksai Chin. Pakistan, which is at a disadvantageous position on Konduz Glacier, has repeatedly sought to improve its situation by securing a toehold on the Saltoro Ridge, which would allow it a peep on to Siachen Glacier — and has been thwarted each time. In fact, even the 1999 Kargil conflict, orchestrated by General Pervez Musharraf, who had in 1977-78 led Pakistani expeditions to secure a place on the Saltoro Ridge, was designed by Pakistan to negate India's Siachen advantage. let there be no doubt then that, even if a sliver of an opportunity presents itself, Pakistan will try its luck again.
letting down its guard at this stage means that India will not only have wasted the enormous human capital and material resources that it has already spent to secure Siachen but will also have to mount another military operation, like Operation Meghdoot in 1984, to regain control. Indeed, given India's past experiences with Pakistan, there is simply no scope for leaving Siachen unprotected. Moreover, if in 1984, the primary aim was only to keep Pakistan out of Indian territory, today there is also the China factor that needs to be taken into consideration. Yes, the China-Pakistan axis existed even three decades ago, but today China not only has a much larger presence in the region (via Pakistan), it is also a more assertive and powerful global player. In effect, there can be little change in the ground realities at Siachen unless the core of the India-Pakistan bilateral evolves and improves.
Once relations between the two countries normalise and there is equal respect for the other's sovereignty on both sides of an undisputed border, demilitarisation of Siachen can and should be considered. In this context, one can take some comfort from the fact that India and Pakistan had come close to a diplomatic resolution of the Siachen issue earlier. Hopefully, as yet another round of peace talks begins between two countries, there will be some progress on this issue. In the meantime, the Government and the military must continue to do everything possible to minimise losses at Siachen. We cannot control natural disasters, but we can prepare well to survive them. Apart from proper training, our soldiers at the top must receive the best of military gear so that they can put up a good fight against inclement weather — their everyday enemy.