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Occupation of Siachen by armed forces of both countries and their military activities has irreversible implications for environment and ecosystem of the glacier. The glacier has receded at a horrible pace in the last 20 years and is facing severe threat of climate change. What else both countries are waiting to lose?
Siachen which literally means ‘black rose’ is located in the eastern ranges of Karakorum in Himalaya Mountains just east to the Line of Control (LOC) between the two South Asian arch-rivals, India and Pakistan. In Karachi Agreement of 29 July, 1949, and Simla Agreement of July 2, 1972, signed in the aftermath of 1948 and 1971 wars respectively, the issue of Siachen was not given due importance as it was deemed as a part of Pakistan. This was the reason that all the mountaineers and environmentalists used to take permission from Pakistani authority before commencing any of their expedition on Siachen.
Then, however, out of no way, a time came when Indian deliberately started interpreting the words of Karachi Agreement (KA) according to its choice and after about 35 years, in the year 1984, it covertly sent its troops to the icy heights of Siachen glacier under the code name of ‘Operation Maghoot.
When Pakistan received the reports of this Indian aggression, it was left with no other option but to follow the suit so that any further advancements of Indian troops might be clipped. From then the conflict on the roof of the world started. This pointless war has engulfed about 3000 Pakistani and nearly 5000 Indian troops. Surprisingly, on both sides, the climatic hazards like avalanches, crevasses, frostbites and glaciers’ sliding etc. have claimed more lives than by active armed combats. Presently, there are nearly 10,000 and 20,000 Indian and Pakistani troops stationed at the Siachen glacier.
It is of no doubt that sector Siachen is of minute strategic significance as said by the person who actually planned the Siachen operation Lt. General M.L. Chibber (r) who asserted in an interview as: ‘Siachen does not have any strategic significance’. The question arises if this occupation is so insignificant then why India is spending 5o million Rupees per day to maintain its troops on Siachen? It is only a tactic which India has been applying to keep on blowing severe dent to Pakistan’s fragile economy and to keep a great bulk of Pakistan’s forces engaged at this sector which are gnawing 15 million Rupees per day.
Occupation of Siachen by armed forces of both countries and their military activities has irreversible implications for environment and ecosystem of the glacier. The glacier has receded at a horrible pace in the last 20 years and is facing severe threat of climate change the consequences of which will be irrevocable. According to a former Indian Air martial: ‘Where Indian troops took 80 percent of their causalities from weather and human waste and war detritus produced by the two armies polluted crevasses and gullies that provide 70 percent of the water used in India and Pakistan.
