Siachen tourism
THE distinction between adventure and adventurism has been blurred by the Indian armys shocking decision to take trekkers to the disputed Siachen glacier, once the worlds highest battleground but where a ceasefire has held successfully since Nov 2003. However, with both Pakistan and India maintaining a permanent troop presence on or near the glacier and its final status till unresolved, Islamabad is correct in describing it as a conflict zone. The recent Indian move comes under the head of needless provocation at a time when the composite dialogue between the two countries is helping ease tensions in the region. Initiated in Feb 2004, the ongoing process has yielded a number of confidence-building measures, facilitated cultural exchanges and citizen-to-citizen contact, and even made some tentative headway towards dispute resolution. Why then foul the air with this senseless needling and introduction of new irritants? And to what advantage? Surely the interests of 20-odd pleasure-seekers cannot take precedence over the peace dividend accruing to the 1.26bn citizens of India and Pakistan. Surely there are other glaciers and mountains that can provide thrills in equal measure. Is the Indian army taking trekkers to Siachen simply because of the adventure opportunities it affords? Or is it trying to tell a wider audience that if tourists can go to Siachen through India, the glacier must fall within its territory? In any case this hare-brained idea dished up by military men does a great disservice to the peace process. Hopefully it will not turn the dialogue on its head, as feared by the Foreign Office in Islamabad, but it has soured the mood in no uncertain fashion. The expedition to Siachen was postponed on Tuesday following a strong protest by Pakistan but was back on track the very next day, possibly due to pressure exerted by the Indian army. While we in Pakistan live under no such illusions, can the Indian government claim that the peoples representatives operate independently of military diktat?
The Siachen conflict that has simmered since India occupied the glacier in 1984 is the most senseless of all outstanding disputes and perhaps the easiest to resolve. Siachen lies in a non-demarcated area because it was presumed under the 1949 Karachi Agreement and the Simla Accord of 1972 that human habitation was not possible beyond map coordinates NJ 9842. Yet this frozen wilderness has claimed the lives of thousands of soldiers on both sides, most of them falling victim to the climate and terrain rather than enemy fire. According to one estimate, maintaining troops on the glacier costs Islamabad Rs15m a day while the daily expenses incurred by New Delhi can be as high as Rs50m. This is a colossal investment that two poor countries can ill afford. Trekking expeditions, however, will only widen the trust deficit.
DAWN - Editorial; September 21, 2007
