New Delhi
3 January 2006
A joint project on the "demilitarisation of Siachen" by
retired Indian and Pakistani army officers has found not many takers in
the Indian strategic community.
While Brig (Retd) Gurmeet Kanwal, who co-authored the report with Brig
(Retd) Asad Hakeem of the Pakistani army after a study at Sandia National
Laboratories in the United States, felt it was "senseless" fighting over a
piece of land that was "not of strategic significance" to India and therefore
advocated that demilitarisation could be done to the satisfaction of both
armies, the strategic community led by Mr MK Rasgotra, convenor of
National Security Advisory Board, questioned the wisdom and the "hurry"
to push through the proposal in the absence of a climate of trust.
The report titled "Demilitarisation of the Siachen Glacier: Implementing
and Monitoring the Process" by Brig Gurmeet Kanwal, Brig Asad Hakeem
and Dr Mike Vannoni observes that "disengagement is operationally
feasible" and "disengagement in the Siachen Conflict Zone will serve as a
precedent for the entire LOC (Line of Control)."
Questioning the "flawed" assessment, Mr Rasgotra observed that
demilitarisation can be considered only if certain basic minimum
requirements were met. "It will have to be within the Jammu and Kashmir
framework and [Pakistan] will have to accept de facto position in rest of
Jammu and Kashmir," he said.
A retired army officer, in turn, wondered, "If [our presence in Siachen] is
not hurting us, why should it be demilitarised? We need to make
determinations seriously. If political benefits will accrue, then it is an
option worth considering but if there is no strategic advantage, then it is
not worth it."
However, it was generally agreed that demarcation of Actual Ground
Position Line should be conducted jointly, that China should be factored in
and that there was no scope for any role by any third party including the
United Nations.
Outlining the approach to demilitarisation, the report recommends that
India and Pakistan formalise the ceasefire understanding and establish a
core "uninhabited zone" around Siachen and the Saltoro Range with a
"civilian zone" adjacent to it and a Joint Liaison and Monitoring Centre
where the LOC crosses the Shyok River.
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