THE world often talks about the Siachen Glacier, the highest battlefield in the world. Some even question the need for India to deploy her troops in the most challenging terrain. Some even suggest a ‘solution’ that the Siachen Glacier should be converted into a ‘Peace Park’. However, not many realise that the need for occupying the mad heights was forced upon India. Had India not acted in time, Pakistan would have secured a perch by way of scoring a brownie point in what is today known as ‘Oropolitics’. Many may not be familiar with this term ‘Oropolitics’, which refers to the use of mountaineering for political purposes.Though‘Oropolitics’ has been in practice since ages, the term has been in use since 1970s particularly in the context of India-Pakistan rivalry to control the daunting heights of Siachen Glacier, where India is placed firmly today.

 

Though the discussions centre around the Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battlefield, it is not the only place where two countries are locked in a conflict. Human beings and the empires they formed have always been fascinated by the thought of conquering the heights to see how the plains look like from there, or what lays beyond a mountain. Mountaineering, which started as an exploration exercise to find out newer trade routes, soon assumed political significance. For example, when the famous Silk Route started attracting merchants from India to Central Asia in ancient times, several checkposts came up in the areas dominated by certain groups. These groups did not have any means of livelihood at those altitudes, and hence they started levying fees from passing caravans. There were areas where certain mountain tribes attacked or looted the caravans if they were not paid.

 

As the world evolved, the arduous journeys were made smooth with construction of roads, rearranged geographies, organised legal systems of levy collection, and gradually trade points opened under the joint supervision of countries sharing the high-altitude borders. This reduced the fascination for the high altitudes for a while, and snow-capped swathes and peaks remained untouched for a while. Again, mountaineering spirit arose and this time they were accompanied by the military representatives of respective countries. Soon, this turned mountaineering into less of as an adventure activity and more of a political objective. The case in point being Pakistan’s misadventurous plan to capture heights in Siachen Glacier area, taking advantage of absence of specific defining line on map of the time. In April of 1984, India outsmarted Pakistan and deployed forces on the Siachen Glacier, which was very much a part of Indian territory.Today, the area has been attracting lot of international attention as Siachen Glacier is the source of freshwater. Of course, over the years, certain issues have cropped up regarding troop sustenance, massive expenditure involved, evolution of technology to aid the manpower deployed at the icy heights. An entire industry is dependent on mountaineering with politico-military objective.

 

May it be special clothing, gears, accessories for the troops or aircraft and air defence systems equipped to ensure supply and counter the potential threats. Satellite images, Artificial Intelligencepowered drones all have evolved. As the time will progress, more advancements may be brought into use. Presently, research is going on to grow nutritional vegetables at high altitude, and to develop special food for the troops. India holding the Siachen Glacier assumes significance from the point of view of preventing China and Pakistan both from connecting with each other with an intention to alienate a large tract that rightfully belongs to India. Over the years, Pakistan has realised that it does not have the level of motivation as high as that of an Indian soldier. Hence, internationally, there is lobbying for demilitarisation of the Siachen Glacier and declaring the area as ‘Peace Park’. India has thoughtfully decided not to bow down to international pressure. For, Pakistan can never be trusted. It has earned the dubious distinction of being a terror-sponsoring as well as back-stabbing country. In the present phase that India is passing through, there are many forces that would want her to compromise on her stand. If demilitarisation plea does not work, these forces will invoke climate change issues. If that also does not work, these forces may shadily try to use some politically sidelined elements within India to push the narrative that would help Pakistan and its‘all-weather friend’ China.

 

The Indian establishment will have to stay stronger to withstand such pulls and pressures. A possible way out could be to carry out scientific studies in the Siachen Glacier area on various aspects and publish those in a language that could be understood by the people. Besides, the establishment will have to increase the opportunities, and even offer subsidies, to increase the number of mountaineering expeditions to restricted number of peaks in the glacier area. Obviously, this must be done without compromising on security aspect.

 

Increasing the public engagement will not only serve the purpose of strengthening the natural claim of India over the glacier area but also increase the pace of infrastructure development to aid civilian movement. India must focus on taking the idea of ‘Oropolitics’ to the ordinary people so as to enhance their knowledge of own territory, issues involved, and also to make them participants in strengthening the natural territorial claims. This will give a further boost to climatic, cultural, archaeological, biological, geological, and hydrological studies too in the area. The strategic objectives will be served in a better manner, as multi-dimensional documentation will be of immense help. The bottomline for India is -- peace prevails only when civilian and military components both are equally aware and prepared to thwart the designs of the inimical forces.