Abstract

Indian and Pakistani militaries have been occupying the Siachen Glacier and surrounding regions for decades. Although a cease-fire is in place since November 2003, continued occupation carries the risk of an inadvertent conflict, which could escalate into a full-fledged nuclear-backed confrontation. Political and military analysts in India, Pakistan and abroad now question the strategic significance of the Siachen Glacier and agree that under the right circumstances, military withdrawal from the Siachen Glacier region would not adversely affect either state. The Siachen glacier was once considered a no man's land as it was left out in both Karachi (1949) and Shimla (1972) agreements, which demarcated border between India and Pakistan. Siachen is a veritable nightmare even for the experienced mountaineers, who have to traverse the glacier to climb the icy peaks. Yet Indian and Pakistani forces are battling 24 h a day to gain control of the range. In this paper the author narrates the utter uselessness of continuing the conflict any further at the cost of socio-economic development. Besides, the continued military presence has deteriorated the pristine beauty and ecological balance of the region.

Key words: India-Pakistan relations, Kashmir conflict, Siachen dispute, demilitarization, confidence building measures.