Before the allegations of accepting bribes in the chopper deal hit the former IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal SP 'Bundles' Tyagi, he was battling a furious reaction from the retired community of soldiers for discussing a mutual withdrawal from Siachen in a series of Track-2 discussions that began last year.
Before the allegations of accepting bribes in the chopper deal hit the former IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal SP 'Bundles' Tyagi, he was battling a furious reaction from the retired community of soldiers for discussing a mutual withdrawal from Siachen in a series of Track-2 discussions that began last year.
While it is unclear whether there are any allegations against ACM Tyagi in the ongoing investigation in Italy, the former air chief was jet setting between continents meeting his Pakistani counterparts in a dialogue that seemed to have the blessings of the establishment in New Delhi and Islamabad.
Several such meetings took place between a delegation of retired soldiers led by ACM Tyagi and their retired Pakistani counterparts headed by former army chief General Jehangir Karamat. The delegations met in Dubai, Bangkok, and Lahore where the delegations discussed a range of issues including a possible withdrawal from the Siachen glacier. While the Indian delegation took pains to point out there was nothing official about them, it is a fact they were briefed by two senior officials from the ministry of external affairs before they left for the Track-2 meetings.
Interestingly, sources in the government told DNA, the external intelligence agency, R&AW was kept out of the loop on these discussions.
It is believed that ACM Tyagi also claimed to his fellow-delegates that he had met a "very senior official in the PMO" before setting up the dialogue. However there is no independent confirmation of any such meeting having taken place. When DNA met ACM Tyagi he refused to discuss the issue saying: "I am preoccupied with these allegations and I cannot speak about anything else."
The Track-2 dialogue started under the aegis of the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, an organisation under the National Defence University of the United States of America and the Ottawa University. A key person pushing the dialogue was Shuja Nawaz, the younger brother of former Pakistani army chief General Asif Nawaz.
Once word about the Track-2 discussions was leaked out, a furious storm raged through the strategic community as scores of senior retired military personnel reacted with outrage at the "selling out" on Siachen. Many of them pointed out that India was at a strategic advantage in Siachen and except for one area in the Central Glacier, India was in a commanding position.
"Any change in this would mean a major strategic blunder," wrote Lt Gen PC Katoch, who had served as a Siachen brigade commander. He also pointed out that none from the Indian delegation had ever served on the Siachen Glacier.
In one of the briefing sessions that was organised in Delhi to assuage these fears, former army chief General NC Vij reacted with horror when the delegation was briefing the group.
"Why should anybody be discussing Siachen at all with the Pakistanis, and nor should we be discussing our Cold Start Doctrine with them," he told the delegation.
Throughout the discussions on Track-2, ACM Tyagi continued to draw considerable flak from the majority of the retired strategic community.
Follow Saikat Datta @saikatd & Pradip R Sagar @pradiprsagar
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