One of his counterparts is Brig. Nusrat Khan Sial, who commands Pakistan's Siachen operation from the city of Skardu. He said he suspects they have used chemical weapons in Siachen, which the Indians vehemently deny. At the same time, a less costly path toward peace is being undertaken. Earlier this year, with brass bands and polite embraces, India's Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, made a heralded bus trip to Pakistan and met with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
More talks are in the offing, but optimism is in irregular supply.
But one side or the other has always been too afraid of a double-cross to complete a deal. Domestic politics are also a hitch. Any compromise involving Kashmir looms like a lit fuse, especially to unstable Governments. So the two armies fight on, proud of conquering the elements if not each other. Their doctors have become experts at high-altitude medicine, their helicopter pilots adroit at skirting the cliffs.