New Delhi, November 28
The Siachen logjam continues as India finds Pakistan’s latest proposal on the issue nothing but an old wine in a new bottle.
During the November 15-16 Foreign Secretary-level talks here, Pakistan presented a “fresh” proposal for melting the Siachen ice. The proposal essentially pitched for resolving the dispute without authentication of troops’ position from both sides.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri said the resolution of Siachen dispute was possible without authentication of troops’ position. He came here on a private visit on November 25 and left for home today afternoon.
He said in an interview that the Siachen dispute could be resolved “provided you don’t make us do things which compromise our own position. If the only purpose is to let people know where the two armies are, I think we can find a way around it... It’s for the Indian leadership to take that decision. I see no reason why it cannot be done.”
He insisted that “enough progress” had been made on Siachen and Sir Creek and argued that given the political will, both issues could be resolved.
The Government of India, however, has a different take on the subject. The Indian position, reiterated many times over to the Pakistanis, is that New Delhi will not agree to withdrawal of troops or demilitarisation of the glacier without prior authentication and cartographic representation of both countries’ troops position at Siachen.
The perception here is that statements from Pakistani ministers and officials on Siachen were essentially meant to convey a forward movement, while there was none, and that the two countries were on the threshold of a historic solution of the over two-decade-old dispute.
When asked whether his optimism meant that “something achievable was within grasp” and it just needed the last moment of will to grab it, Mr Kasuri said “Yes, that is correct.”
The Indian establishment, however, does not share this optimism. For New Delhi, the authentication issue is non-negotiable.
