11 June 2012

Siachen talks


Siachen talks

Pakistan will host the next round of talks with India over the disputed Siachen Glacier, dubbed the world’s highest battlefield, on June 11-12 in Islamabad. Troops from India and Pakistan have engaged in combat on the mountains of a disputed area in Kashmir since the 1980s. However, calls for a stand-off to end have been growing after an avalanche hit Siachen in April.

As reported in Dawn, a Pakistani daily, the avalanche buried more than a 100 Pakistani soldiers. Since then, Military officials in Pakistan have questioned the strategic value of deploying troops on the glacier, given the massive human and environmental costs.

Speaking on demilitarization in the region, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Kayani, said that “this [Siachen] area should not be militarized.” India, on the other hand will demand for a proper authentication of Pakistani troop position before any disengagement of the glacier.