President Asif Ali Zardari made a proposal to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for demilitarising the Siachen glacier when they met here in April, the government told Lok Sabha.
Defence minister AK Antony said Zardari brought up the matter of withdrawal of troops from the world’s highest and most treacherous battlefield during the April 8 meeting, a day after an avalanche left more than 100 Pakistan army personnel dead.
“The President also pointed out the need to address all bilateral issues, including Sir Creek, Siachen and Kashmir,” Antony said in a written reply, adding that both leaders spoke of the need to find “pragmatic and mutually acceptable solutions” to the disputes.
Army sources reiterated India could not risk withdrawing from Siachen until Pakistan authenticated troop positions which it has routinely refused to do as it would be a formidable task to reclaim the glacier.
Indian troops have stood sentinel on the 21,000-foot glacier since April 13, 1984. There are now around 3,000 of them. The guns have been silent since a November 2003 ceasefire. But the harsh weather has proved a more lethal killer. India lost 26 soldiers in the last one year.
Soldiers have to trek almost 28 days over 128 km to reach some of the farthest pickets. The daily cost of holding on to the glacier is around Rs. 5 crore, Indian media reported.
Yet, strategic affairs experts say, the battlefield is crucial as its occupation stops the Pakistan army from linking up with the Chinese and posing a threat to Ladakh.
Pakistan asked India for mutual withdrawal of troops from the Siachen area after it suffered heavy casualties in an avalanche last month, Defence Minister A K Antony confirmed to the Lok Sabha.
He responded with a “yes” in a written reply to MPs AT Nana Patil and Suresh Angadi who had asked whether Pakistan had requested India for “withdrawal of their respective troops” in the region after the incident.
Antony said Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari had also raised the issue along with Sir Creek and Kashmir during his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in April. “Both leaders felt the need to move forward step by step and find pragmatic and mutually acceptable solutions to all those issues,” he said.
