Make Siachen a peace zone: PM from glacier

SIACHEN: Floating a bold idea in the midst of the peace process with Pakistan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh favoured conversion of the Siachen glacier, the highest battlefield in the world, into a ‘‘peace mountain''.
He, however, ruled out any changes in the ‘‘established'' boundaries of the country, saying it was related to the nation's ‘‘honour'' and ‘‘security''.
Becoming the first Prime Minister to visit Siachen, Singh said efforts should be made to create an atmosphere of peace wherein ‘‘nobody fears any threat, there is no scope for any conflict and this place becomes an example of peaceful environment.''
Briefed by top Army officers about the prevailing situation, Singh, addressing troops here, noted that ‘‘Siachen is called the highest battlefield'' where living is very difficult. ‘‘How long shall we allow such conditions to prevail (in Siachen). Now the time has come for us to make efforts to convert this battlefield into a mountain of peace,'' he said, saying talks were going on with Pakistan in this regard.
Emphasising that India wanted peaceful relations with Pakistan, the Prime Minister, however, asserted that in pursuit of this, ‘‘We are not ready to accept any changes in the drawn and established boundaries of the country... We feel these boundaries are important not only for our security but it relates to the country's honour. It is for this prestige that the Indian soldiers are happily putting up with the hardships here (in Siachen),'' he said.
Hailing the contributions of the soldiers towards unity and integrity of the country, Singh assured soldiers in this inhospitable sector that all their needs would be met.
Besides a CT scan facility, which would be made available here, the Prime Minister said that two home theatres would also be provided to the soldiers for providing entertainment. He said he was ‘‘very happy'' to meet the troops and was proud of their determination and patriotism.
‘‘I wanted to see for myself as to what your living conditions and arrangements are, what your problems are and what the government can do to address these,'' he told the soldiers