Senior opposition leaders, particularly of the BJP, have been sharply critical of the government's reported moves to demilitarise Siachen. While their stridency could be put down in part to the need to sound overtly patriotic during election time, it is indeed surprising that none of the leaders of the Congress Party or the UPA alliance thought it fit to respond. Neither have the government's media managers taken it upon themselves to counter rumours. Once again a major national security issue is being subjected to partisan politics.
There are really only two major issues to be considered before India accepts an agreement to demilitarise Siachen. First, the demarcation of the Actual Ground Position Line and maps as a reference point for future settlement of disputes and, secondly, whether Pakistan can be trusted to honour the agreement. On the first the two-decades-old impasse appears to have been overcome as Pakistan has reportedly accepted that India may attach a marked map showing its forward positions with the demilitarisation agreement but that Pakistan will not authenticate it.
This is a major step forward and must be seen as such. What needs to be debated is whether this would serve the purpose of providing a reference line for future disputes, or whether India must continue to stick to its stated position that the present deployments must be accepted by both sides and that the AGPL must be demarcated. It is well known that the latter option would kill the agreement, as it did in 1989 and 1992, and the troops would remain deployed in perpetuity on the icy heights. Hence, it is not a serious option. The issue of trust is more complex. After Pakistan's treachery in Kargil, and its lukewarm policy towards ending its support for terrorism against India, it is difficult for India's establishment to trust Pakistan. The decision has been made even more difficult by the army's professional judgment that in case the Pakistan army surreptitiously occupies posts vacated, it will be almost impossible to take them back at heights above 20,000 feet. However, given political will, the army can open another front and must prepare for such an eventuality.
Trust begets trust and it is worth-taking a political and military risk to give peace a chance. The demilitarisation of Siachen is a low-risk option to test Pakistan's long-term intentions. The government must begin the process of building a national consensus around this important measure.
The writer is Director, Security Studies, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi. [email protected]
Source: The Indian Express, New Delhi, May 13, 2006.
* Views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Observer Research Foundation.
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