Chairman, Senate Defence Committee, Mushahid Hussain, who returned from a visit to Siachen with members of his Committee, has said that time has come for both Pakistan and India to treat Siachen as an issue of human security and protecting the environment to face the consequences of climate change, rather than a needless waste of human lives, money and material in the name of national security.
During a media briefing here on Wednesday, Mushahid proposed a three-point plan for peace in Siachen and termed it as "a pointless conflict of the last 30 years, waste of human and material resources". He called for demilitarisation of Siachen, withdrawal of forces of both Pakistan and India, Conversion of Siachen into a Peace Park where mountain tourism and expeditions could be encouraged under the auspices of the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and World Tourism Organisation (WTO), collaboration between Pakistan and India to prepare a joint strategy for preserving the environment and combat the consequences of climate change and global warming in the Siachen region whose impact would be felt by 1/5th of humanity that reside in South Asia.
He also talked of the track record and efforts for peace in Siachen, which he said were sabotaged on three different occasions by the Indian military establishment. June 1989, when Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had agreed with Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto for a Siachen agreement but the then Indian Army Chief, General V N Sharma, opposed it and the agreement was overruled.
On June 13, 2005, Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh proclaimed Siachen as a "mountain of peace" and publicly sought to convert Siachen from a "point of conflict to a symbol of peace". However, General J J Singh, the then Chief of Army Staff of India opposed it citing "security concerns" and termed it as being "not in national interest".
On the eve of the 13th round of talks on Siachen between Defence Ministries of Pakistan and India which was scheduled in June 2012, the then Indian Army Chief, General V K Singh publicly and outrightly rejected Pakistan's proposals of peace on Siachen saying that "these are not realistic", thereby undermining any possibility of a peace agreement prior to talks.
Mushahid said that troops were a role model for the entire nation and the Parliament of Pakistan fully stood behind our men in uniform in Siachen, as they were a source of inspiration, urging that Siachen be no longer treated as an issue of national security by India and Pakistan rather this was more an issue of human security and the need to protect and preserve the environment, which was adversely affected by the Indian occupation, particularly the cutting and melting of ice using chemicals to construct military barracks.
He also said that 90 percent of the deaths on Siachen were due to weather, which could be even minus 50 during the peak winter season. Mushahid said that the time had come for both countries to collaborate on such areas as environment, climate change and global warming. "We should approach issues with a big heart and even take pride in each other's achievements as Asians," he added.-PR