After sending several signals and veiled messages, the Indian Army finally came out and said it is opposed to demilitarization on Siachen citing potential takeover of heights by Pakistan or China and thereby scuttling any political temptation to reach a deal.

The Indian Army had floated several arguments against such a deal including a potential Pakistani occupation of the heights, impossibility of taking the ridges back, and a weakened defense along the Ladakh region. The inclusion of China as a potential occupier of the heights is a new theory. Pranab Mukherjee, when he was a Defense Minister, had backed the Army’s argument. As the External Affairs Minister he would possibly continue to back the Army’s position.

India had provided clear conditions for demilitarization of the heights including the documentation of the heights, socialization to the international community, and a treaty that would hold both nations to not occupying those heights. With the inclusion of China in this equation and the illegal ceding of Akasi Chin by Pakistan to Beijing , it is not clear if a three way deal is required. The Army’s thrust is that Ladakh may be indefensible if Siachen is occupied by China as the glacier looks over the Karakoram Range through which an invasion from China may happen.

Pakistan had floated a rumor that a deal about Siachen is in the offing. Clearly taken by surprise, an Indian spokesperson tersely said that Pakistan was aware of India ’s conditions for a deal and they would conclude a deal if those conditions were met. Indian officials were also privately peeved at the public disclosure of their thinking and said they would rather that these issues are discussed officially and not through the media