Pakistan follows China laid path on Siachen issue

Much to the shock of the Indian delegation, Pakistan played the China card in the Defence Secretary- level talks on Tuesday, wanting Beijing included in further talks on the Siachen dispute. The talks ended without any breakthrough.

In a "non- paper" placed on table on the second and last day of the talks, Pakistan argued that the northern part of the 2600- sq km Siachen glacier abuts the Shaksham valley under the Chinese control and hence the need to take Beijing on board. A " non- paper" in diplomatic parlance is an unofficial presentation of the stated policy of a government.

Defence Minister Pradeep Kumar is reported to have immediately rejected the demand to inject China in the talks over Siachen, asserting that "it is just not acceptable." He was quite forthright that India can not accept such a suggestion since the mountainous Shaksham valley of 5800 sq km is part of Jammu and Kashmir that had been illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1948 along with other parts of the state and ceded to China in 1959. The Indian side was expecting the Pakistan document to visit the extent of agreement both sides had reached until the dialogue broke down because of 26/ 11 as never before Pakistan had ever tried to involve China in resolving the dispute.

The Siachen Glacier is under India's control since April 1984 when its troops had beaten the Pakistan Army by a day to occupy the icy heights ranging from 16000 to 22000 feet along the Saltora range of Jammu and Kashmir.

Since the two sides agreed to a ceasefire in the area from November 2003, Pakistan has been insisting on India pull out from the glacier heights to demilitarise the area. In the last round of talks over three years ago, the dispute had narrowed down to both sides agree for the pull- out but India wanting first authentication of the 110- km Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) and it was on this point that the talks broke down.