Atlantic Unbound: On Top of the World

I have been travelling in Pakistan side of silkroad because I have a passion for trekking and mountaneering for the past 12 years.As a naturalist I am very much concerned about the de forestation and polution occuring i that area. Taylor has mentioned about the Fairy Meadows near the Raka Poshi that area has been literally cleaned up by Timber Tafia. This is ofcourse a very thorough depiction of the two sides of the Pak-Chinese border. A good book about These areas is written by Isabel Shaw titled ``Pakistan Trekking Guide``.

Banjara

Re: RR post # 5

Thanks for the article. It was really instructive.

The interesting fact about that article was the remarks of the Pakistani soldiers about the nature of the fighting and their own doubts about the necessity to wage a war on Siachen. In a similar vein, I was slightly suprised to find that there was almost no quote attributed to the Indian soldiers fighting on the Siachen. The ability of an American journalist to question Pakistani soldiers in frontlines and record their remarks was highly revealing. From this, it is safe to hypothesis that the Pakistani army is confident enough of its ability to deal with the situation that it is willing to allow access to its frontline positions.

The lack of an Indian response, in the article, raises some very interesting speculative questions. One; was the journalist in question, who wrote the article, denied permission to visit Indian army outposts on the glaciers and if so, what were the Indians hiding? Could it be, as the article suggests itself, the Indians are suffering more than the Pakistanis on the glacier and by refusing permission, did the Indians not want to show how badly they were faring in that little corner of Kasmir. It is a well known fact, reported in many western press accounts, that the Indian army`s morale is not high and that there is a general resentment, by the Indian soldiers against their commanding officers. Why, the question still remains, would the Indians deny permission to visit their positions frontlines on Siachen if they believed in the justification of their own cause in fighting for Siachen?

Would love to hear a few replies.....

The following is an interesting article I came across in today`s paper, I think it`s somewhat relevent:

The Highest Battlefield on Earth

India and Pakistan both have thousands of troops fighting for control of an immense glacier where thin air kills more soldiers than bullets do. Their surreal war seems part Ice Age, part Flash Gordon...

For full article try this link:

http://www.latimes.com/HOME/NEWS/FRONT/t000021464.html

Re: Ras Siddiqui

Ras, a suggestion - if you really want an off-the-beaten (Karakorum Highway)path experience of the Northern Areas, contact the Aga Khan Foundation about the possibility of writing about their work in the area based on your personal observations of visiting the villages they work in.

I have had the fortunate experience of working with them in the NA for a year, gathering health information on the people. I can only say that I do not have the words to describe all that I experienced. Simply nothing equals trekking through avalanches, crossing glaciers on mule backs, squeezing through mountain passes only a few feet wide on helicopters, moonlit dinners at the foothills of Rakaposhi and Nanga Parbat, picnics by the origin of the mighty Indus, and most of all, the beauty and resilience of the people I met. I keep wanting to go back for more and more.

Anita

I would love to visit Northern Pakistan
someday. Great Article. Thanks FR.

Ras

Thank you for drawing attention to an interesting article.

While searching for this article I came across a very interesting interview of Mary Ann Weaver author of Portrait of Egypt: a journey throught the world of militant Islam, Feb 17,`99.

She has studied in Egypt in the 70s and has been a frequent visitor to that country. Even though it is hard for her, she has painted a fresh, relatively uinbiased picture of the forces that fill the void in a(ny) largely populated third world country. The parallels one can draw from her experience in Egypt and what happens elsewhere can be eery or optimistic depending on one`s outlook. Wish we could have discussed her book and interview.

regards