NEW DELHI, May 26:
Army Chief General V K Singh has rejected his Pakistani counterpart’s proposal to demilitarise Siachen, dubbing it as a “gimmick.”
It would be foolish to accept such “gimmicks”(of vacating the world highest battlefield), he told a television news channel in an interview. Gen Singh said,”these are all gimmicks that keep coming from the establishment in Pakistan and we will be fools if we fall for them.”
General Singh’s categorical rejection of Pakistan Army chief Gen Ashfaq Kayani’s proposal to withdraw armies from Siachen by the two nations has come at a time when Defence Secretary-level talks between the countries are slated this month.
Pakistan has been trying for many years to persuade India to vacate the white cold desert where the two armies have lost more soldiers to hostile weather that in actual combat since April 1984 when Indian Army occupied the icy heights for the nation’s strategic defence.
Defence Minister AK Antony had already made it clear in Parliament that no one should expect any ‘dramatic’ results from the Defence Secretaries’ talks, indicating that India will not pull out of the glacier unless Pakistan agree to mark the Actual Ground Position held by the respective armies. (UNI)
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