ISLAMABAD, April 7: Another round of talks between Pakistan and India on the Siachen glacier issue concluded in Rawalpindi on Saturday without making any headway, as the Indian demand for authentication of troops’ current position remained a sticking point.
This was the 11th round of talks on the 22-year-old conflict over the world’s highest battlefield which proved to be an exercise in futility, conveying that ice on Siachen is not about to break despite the much publicised thaw in relations.
The two-day talks were led by the defence secretaries of the two countries.
The talks that had kicked off on Friday at the Defence Ministry amid optimism of some forward movement, failed to yield any positive result, raising serious questions about the composite dialogue process aimed at dispute resolution. Siachen is one of the eight issues being addressed by Pakistan and India within the framework of the Composite Dialogue.
The meeting on Saturday was over in 90 minutes and was followed by issuance of a brief statement by the Foreign Office declaring yet again in the standard diplomatic jargon that the talks were held in a “candid and constructive atmosphere” and the two sides agreed to continue the discussions to resolve the Siachen issue in a “peaceful” manner. No dates were indicated for the next round of discussions.
“The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to the November 2003 ceasefire between the two countries which is holding successfully,” the statement said. Notably, the last defence secretary-level meeting on Siachen held in New Delhi in May 2006 ended on the same note.
The talks broke down after the Indian delegation insisted on authentication of the existing positions which was not acceptable to Pakistan.
Talking to Dawn a disappointed Pakistani delegate said: “We had made certain proposals which would have shown a forward movement but there was nothing new in the Indian approach to resolve the issue.”
Apparently Pakistan had proposed a ‘schedule of disengagement’ that would record the present position of troops but the Indian side was not too receptive to it. The Indian delegation remained inflexible and pointedly conveyed that any forward movement on the issue or agreement would be conditional to authentication of existing positions, it is learnt.
Hopes for progress on Siachen had been raised by a string of recent statements emanating from both sides. The statements by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Indian defence secretary on the eve of the talks had particularly raised hopes of a breakthrough during the current round of talks.
Earlier, at the January 13, 2007 joint press conference with his Indian counterpart here, foreign minister Khurshid Kasuri disclosed that “a lot of work had already been done” on the Siachen issue and stated that given the political will it could be resolved within days. He specifically mentioned that foreign secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan had handed over a “detailed plan” in this regard to his Indian counterpart during the official talks in New Delhi in November 2006 which addressed concerns of both sides.When the Indian foreign secretary was asked about it at the press conference here last month, he acknowledged that the two countries were looking at “a common set of ideas” and categorically stated: “We are hopeful.”
Even the Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had announced at the January 13 joint press conference that efforts were underway to expedite the process of addressing the Siachen issue. Later, he even signaled that India may show flexibility on the authentication question.
Observers say while there is political will at the top in both the countries to find mutually acceptable solution to the Siachen issue expeditiously, the Indian military establishment seems to be resisting the move in view of the 1999 Kargil conflict.Pakistan has been advocating a settlement on the basis of the 1989 bilateral agreement on Siachen which spoke of redeployment of troops and the determination of future positions on the ground.
An understanding had been reached between the-then prime ministers of India and Pakistan, Rajiv Gandhi and Benazir Bhutto, in 1989 for disengagement of troops to the time of 1972 when the Simla Agreement was signed between the two countries. The defence secretaries of Pakistan and India during their meeting in June 1989 discussed specific proposals for the resolution of the Siachen conflict.
A joint press statement issued after their meeting, reflecting the first comprehensive agreement on Siachen, noted: “There was an agreement by both sides to work towards the comprehensive settlement based on redeployment of forces to reduce the chances of conflict, avoidance of the use of force and the determination of future positions on the ground so as to conform with the Simla Agreement. The army authorities will determine these positions.”
Subsequently six rounds of talks were held at the level of military commanders to work out the modalities.
In 1992 the defense secretaries of the two countries met in Delhi to sign an agreement on Siachen but India backed out at the last moment.
In 1998 when Siachen negotiations began in November between defence secretaries of the two countries the Pakistani defence secretary asked for the revival of the understanding reached in 1992. He was told a fresh understanding would have to be worked out as number of developments had taken place since then.
Siachen heights had been under Pakistan’s control since 1947 but these were forcibly occupied by India in 1984 in violation of the 1949 Karachi Agreement and the 1972 Simla Accord.
Pakistan maintains that Siachen heights are on its side of the Line of Control (LoC) but Indian contention is that LoC stretched along the Saltoro watershed which is their demilitarised zone.
Pakistan disputes this claim saying that the area west of the Line joining point NJ9842 of the LoC and the Karakorum was under Pakistan control from 1947 till India occupied those heights. Another argument advanced by Pakistan to support its claim is that it was Pakistan that granted permission to foreign mountaineering expeditions to visit that area.
Indian Defense Secretary Shekhar Dutt led a nine-member delegation at the talks ending on Saturday while the Pakistan side was headed by new Defense Secretary Kamran Rasul. Both the officials were assisted by their respective directors general military operations.
ISLAMABAD, April 7: Another round of talks between Pakistan and India on the Siachen glacier issue concluded in Rawalpindi on Saturday without making any headway, as the Indian demand for authentication of troops’ current position remained a sticking point.
