Army Chief General Naravane draws Eastern Ladakh parallel to Siachen

The Army is not averse to a demilitarisation of the Siachen glacier, General MM Naravane has said, drawing a parallel to the border situation in Eastern Ladakh where the Indian stand is that de-induction of troops can take place after disengagement and drawing up of mutually recognised position line.

Responding to a question by ET on the eve of Army Day, General Naravane said that any demilitarisation of the world's highest battlefield would be conditional on Pakistan recognising the Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL), the current border that Indian troops are holding on the glacier.

"We are not averse to demilitarisation of the Siachen glacier but a pre condition to that is to accept the AGPL. Pakistan has to accept what are their positions and what are our positions and both of us have to sign on the dotted line before any kind of disengagement takes place," Gen Naravane said.


The Army chief said that the Siachen deployments occurred as there was a unilateral attempt by Pakistan to change the status quo by occupying the glacier.

Drawing a reference to border situation with China in Eastern Ladakh and the process to resolve it, the officer said that the first step to any demilitarisation would be Pakistani acceptance of the AGPL which it hasn't done.

"There is quite a parallel with what is happening in Eastern Ladakh. It is quite similar. First you have to disengage and only then can you de-escalate and de-induct, which is another way of saying demilitarisation," the Army chief said in response to ET's question.

Indian troops have been occupying the Siachen glacier and its surrounding heights since 1984, when troops were rushed up as part of Op Meghdoot, when credible intelligence was received that Pakistani Army is attempting to deploy troops.

"The line of control (LoC) had been delineated until point NJ 9842 and there was an understanding that the remaining would remain unoccupied. Since they tried to occupy it, we had to take countermeasures," the Army chief said.

Attempts in the past to demilitarise the glacier have not been successful, with the issue stuck on Pakistan's reluctance to formally accept the current position line of Indian troops. There is no Pakistani presence on the glacier and its soldiers are confined to the lower reaches of mountains that surround Siachen.