Pakistan has said India should pull out its troops from the Siachen Glacier as waste disposal by Indian soldiers was threatening the glacier, which it claims is one of its largest sources of water.
Sartaj Aziz, Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs, on Wednesday said the presence of Indian forces on the glacier posed a serious environmental threat.
In an interview to Radio Pakistan, Mr. Aziz is quoted as saying that Pakistan faced water shortage and Indian forces were damaging the virgin snow of Siachen on a daily basis. He urged India to resolve the issue on a priority basis by pulling out its troops from the glacier. The implications of water scarcity were grave in view of climate change, he said.
The issue of demilitarising Siachen has often been discussed and both India and Pakistan have debated the question of troops’ pullout but in vain.
Civil society groups too have been debating the issue and there are demands to declare Siachen a protected area.
