Siachen: End to the impasse? Report & Compilation January 2013 Published by: Dialogue for Action (DA), unit of PSA Compiled by: The Research Collective (TRC), unit of PSA Photo Credit: Dhritiman Mukherjee Contents Cover Design : Joe Athialy Needed: A Shanti 'Meghdoot' in the Highest Battlefield on Earth! An introductory note to the dossier and our engagements on the ................ 1 Printers : Jerry Enterprises - 9873294668 Siachen issue I Introduction and overview A. Siachen: Chronology of events (compilation) ................ 5 B. Report of Pakistan-India people to people Round Table ................ 8 Conference 'A Climate of Confidence: Siachen, a Shared Heritage' August 14, 2012, Mumbai, India’ C. Siachen Declaration' From the Roundtable of citizens and ................ 19 organisations from India, Pakistan and Jammu & Kashmir held in Mumbai on August 14, 2012 II. Dossier on Siachen Conflict D. Siachen: History and Trajectory of the Dispute Dialogue for Action, an initiative by PSA, aims at asserting meaningful engagements The Siachen War: Twenty-Five Years On ................ 22 between South Asian people with a belief that people and communities have an inherent - Pavan Nair, Economic and Political Weekly, March 14, 2009 capacity to work towards conflict transformation and such promotion of dialogue processes Siachen: ten questions ................ 34 is the lasting solution to civil, political, economic and cultural conflicts. The objective is to - Dr Maleeha Lodhi, The News, April 17, 2012 create conducive people-centric spaces, legislations and judicial protection of citizens – Forty years after Simla ................ 38 through inter-community dialogue, advocacy with state and non-state actors, media - A.G Noorani, The Dawn, June 23, 2012 interactions and popular action – for preservation of active democracy, peace, human rights Was Indira Gandhi low on oxygen in Leh to have ordered Siachen ................ 41 and justice in South Asia. The specific areas taken up include: Indo-Pak fishers fiasco? issue/conflicts, Siachen conflict between Indian and Pakistani Armies, Sir Creek conflict in - Jawed Naqvi, The Dawn Indo-Pak maritime waters, issues of prisoners between India and Pakistan, the larger battle The Siachen impasse ................ 44 of democratic movements in Central India's tribal region and the conflicts between - A.G. Noorani, Frontline, Volume 19 - Issue 23, November 09 - 22 different ethnic communities in North East region. 2002 Siachen was almost a done deal in 1992 ................ 51 - The Hindu, June 10, 2012 Solution to Siachen - The Dawn, April 20, 2012 ................ 53 For Private Circulation Only E. Siachen: The ecological disaster Melting of Siachen Glacier- don't blame global warming ................ 54 - Arshad H. Abbasi, The News, April 22, 2012 Programme for Social Action (PSA) Siachen standoff taking environmental toll ................ 57 H-17/1 (Basement), Malviya Nagar, New Delhi – 110017 - The Hindu, April 14, 2012 Phones: +91-11-26687725 / 26671556 Email: [email protected] / [email protected] Photo Credit: Dhritiman Mukherjee Contents Cover Design : Joe Athialy Needed: A Shanti 'Meghdoot' in the Highest Battlefield on Earth! An introductory note to the dossier and our engagements on the ................ 1 Printers : Jerry Enterprises - 9873294668 Siachen issue I Introduction and overview A. Siachen: Chronology of events (compilation) ................ 5 B. Report of Pakistan-India people to people Round Table ................ 8 Conference 'A Climate of Confidence: Siachen, a Shared Heritage' August 14, 2012, Mumbai, India’ C. Siachen Declaration' From the Roundtable of citizens and ................ 19 organisations from India, Pakistan and Jammu & Kashmir held in Mumbai on August 14, 2012 II. Dossier on Siachen Conflict D. Siachen: History and Trajectory of the Dispute Dialogue for Action, an initiative by PSA, aims at asserting meaningful engagements The Siachen War: Twenty-Five Years On ................ 22 between South Asian people with a belief that people and communities have an inherent - Pavan Nair, Economic and Political Weekly, March 14, 2009 capacity to work towards conflict transformation and such promotion of dialogue processes Siachen: ten questions ................ 34 is the lasting solution to civil, political, economic and cultural conflicts. The objective is to - Dr Maleeha Lodhi, The News, April 17, 2012 create conducive people-centric spaces, legislations and judicial protection of citizens – Forty years after Simla ................ 38 through inter-community dialogue, advocacy with state and non-state actors, media - A.G Noorani, The Dawn, June 23, 2012 interactions and popular action – for preservation of active democracy, peace, human rights Was Indira Gandhi low on oxygen in Leh to have ordered Siachen ................ 41 and justice in South Asia. The specific areas taken up include: Indo-Pak fishers fiasco? issue/conflicts, Siachen conflict between Indian and Pakistani Armies, Sir Creek conflict in - Jawed Naqvi, The Dawn Indo-Pak maritime waters, issues of prisoners between India and Pakistan, the larger battle The Siachen impasse ................ 44 of democratic movements in Central India's tribal region and the conflicts between - A.G. Noorani, Frontline, Volume 19 - Issue 23, November 09 - 22 different ethnic communities in North East region. 2002 Siachen was almost a done deal in 1992 ................ 51 - The Hindu, June 10, 2012 Solution to Siachen - The Dawn, April 20, 2012 ................ 53 For Private Circulation Only E. Siachen: The ecological disaster Melting of Siachen Glacier- don't blame global warming ................ 54 - Arshad H. Abbasi, The News, April 22, 2012 Programme for Social Action (PSA) Siachen standoff taking environmental toll ................ 57 H-17/1 (Basement), Malviya Nagar, New Delhi – 110017 - The Hindu, April 14, 2012 Phones: +91-11-26687725 / 26671556 Email: [email protected] / [email protected] Siachen... Ecological Peace between India and Pakistan ................ 59 Needed: A Shanti 'Meghdoot' - Dr Saleem Ali, Sanctuary Asia, February 2005 in the Highest Battlefield on Earth! Siachen Glacier, shrinking says study ................ 62 - Faiza Ilyas, The Dawn, January 4, 2013 An introductory note to the dossier and our engagements on the F. Conflict Resolution (Nationalistic Perspectives) & Siachen issue Demilitarisation # Settle the Siachen dispute now ................ 64 When the Dialogue for Action (DA) desk of Programme for Social Action (PSA) opted to work on - A.G Noorani, The Hindu, June 11, 2012 the issue of Siachen, many friends enquired about the rationale for the same especially those, who have been associated for years, if not decades, with the work of PSA and its network of Demilitarisation of Siachen ................ 68 - Gurmeet Kanwal, Observer Research Foundation, April 9, 2006 action groups across the country. We have always been a support and solidarity platform that worked closely with people's resistance and action groups across the sub-continent. Many Siachen and Civil-Military Relations ................ 70 - Srinath Raghavan, Economic and Political weekly, September 1, friends failed to see the connection. 2007 Dialogue for Action, an initiative with the objective of asserting meaningful engagements The Siachen Imbroglio ................ 73 between South Asian people and countries, has been engaging with the issues of Sir Creek and - S. G Vombatkere, Mainstream Weekly, Vol L, NO 26, JUNE 16, fishworker prisoners held in Pakistan & India. At present, we are in the midst of developing a 2012 work-frame for some of the other conflict areas in the region, keeping in mind our close Issues of National, Ecological and Human Security in the Siachen ................ 78 association with people's movements, especially in Central, East and North East India. Glacier Region - P. K. Gautam, Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis, April Theoretically, DA's focus is on people-to-people dialogue towards conflict transformation. This 25, 2012 is indeed one of the core perspectives of PSA and our partner organisations. However, what is The Siachen story: Why Indian Army cannot withdraw from the ................ 81 not understood is why we had to make some such intervention on the issue of Siachen. Why glacier Siachen? Isn't it just a high war zone where armies, surviving on chocolates and rum, - Maharajakrishna Rasgotra, The Tribune, May 18, 2012 supposedly fight to secure national interests? Siachen issue unlikely to be resolved in near future: experts ................ 84 - Waqar Ahmed, The News, June 20, 2012 There are largely five key issues that help both the Indian and Pakistani establishments continue in the state of conflict that both these South Asian countries have been caught in since G. Linking Siachen to overall context of peace and confidence their independence in August 1947: building Understanding the thaw ................ 85 1. Kashmir imbroglio (the 'K' word holds the key to all failed negotiations – though both - Prem Shankar Jha, The Hindu, June 12, 2012 countries do not accept this) Annexure 2. Indo-Pak water disputes and agreements/treaties 1992, India and Pakistan drafts on Siachen ................ 89 - The Hindu, June 10, 2012 3. Sir Creek dispute 4. Maritime boundary issue or in other words what is now the Indo-Pak fishworkers issue (arrests of fishworkers for crossing water boarders has become the core of the issue but the underlying issue is the lack of a clear maritime boundary