Call for US backing to resolve Siachen

DH conference: Experts' perspectives throw light on vexed issues

The vexed Siachen issue can be resolved only if the United States (US) backs one of the two proposals on the table on demarcating the boundary in the icy heights, which has been at the core of the India-Pakistan dispute, former Indian Ambassador Prabhat Shukla said on Saturday.

Shukla, who served as India’s envoy to Russia and Australia, said the Americans depict the Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) in the North-Easterly direction towards the Karakoram Pass, while the 1949 agreement takes the line due north to the Indira Kol which is the boundary at Shaksdar Valley.

“I have suggested to them, they can adopt our AGPL or they could just stop depicting the line beyond NJ-9842 and use a colour wash to depict a sympathy towards the Indian position,” he said at the Deccan Herald National Conference on “Shaping 21st Century: India, the US and China” here.

On the other side, he said, the Americans are looking forward to India defining its global posture. “Are we with the Chinese in the Asia-Pacific region or are we not,” Shukla asked. He was speaking at a session on “Bilateral, Regional and Global Contexts of Indo-US relations” chaired by former external affairs minister Salman Khurshid.

Shukla said the upcoming visit of US President Barack Obama to India provided New Delhi with a suitable occasion to clear the air on these issues. 

The Siachen issue has its roots in history. The Cease Fire Line (CFL) and the Line of Control (LOC) in Jammu and Kashmir were delineated by the Karachi agreement 1949 and the Shimla agreement 1972 respectively, up to Point NJ 9842.

The Indian Army has been occupying the heights since 1984, negating Pakistan’s anticipated move to do the same.

Another of India’s concerns is the rise of China’s military strengths, economic clout and growing aggressiveness and assertiveness vis-à-vis India and its neighbours in the Asia-Pacific region.

Chintamani Mahapatra, Professor at the School of International Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, said he has a clear sense that Chinese President Xi Jingping was keen to clarify the boundary with India, but has run into some trouble back home. “Can he deliver? I cannot say. But we need to test him,” Mahapatra said.

Earlier, Khurshid said Obama’s visit to India to take part in the Republic Day was a high point in the India-US relationship.