What has been the importance of the Siachen Glacier to both India and Pakistan?

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2015). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1] 1977 Indian colonel Kumar first climbed the glacier. Returned in 1981.
2. [1] Pakistan discovered that Indians had been there and decided to defend its interests before India claimed the glacier, especially as the border in that part of Kashmir had never been drawn properly.
3. [1] When Pakistan soldiers moved up to the glacier they discovered 300 Indian troops there.
4. [1] This meant that both sets of troops had to stay there as the glacier was an important symbol to both sides.
5. [1] Pakistan tried several times to remove the Indian troops from there without success.
6. [1] In 1987 Musharraf led one of these assaults.
7. [1] In 1989 Bhutto visited the glacier to reinforce Pakistan's view of it.
8. [1] No official figures exist of the death toll on the glacier with estimates between 3000 and 5000, but many of these have probably been due to avalanches and falls.
9. [1] No settlement has been reached, even though several meetings have been held to discuss the situation since 1989.
10. [1] LEVEL 1: Simplistic answer: He was in the army.
11. [2-4] LEVEL 2: Identifies reasons: Sharif had many problems so the army decided to take over.
12. [5-7] LEVEL 3: Explains reasons: Sharif was giving support for the Taliban in Afghanistan and this damaged relations with USA as they refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, suspected of bombing of US embassy in Kenya. Pakistan also tested nuclear weapons which angered a number of countries which then halted aid to Pakistan and brought Sharif much criticism. He also blamed Musharraf for the embarrassing retreat from the fighting in Kashmir. The army refused to accept this criticism. Sharif tried to sack Musharraf whilst he was visiting Sri Lanka and as a result the army decided to intervene in the government and overthrew Sharif.
13. [1-2] LEVEL 1: Simplistic statement: They were all successful.
14. [3-6] LEVEL 2: Identifies/describes the policies: There was a new Islamic constitution drawn up in 1973.
15. [7-10] LEVEL 3: Explains successes OR failures
16. [9-13] LEVEL 4: Explains both: Successes: A new constitution drawn up in 1973 established a Senate which offered the opportunity for professionals, academics and specialists to work together. It also safeguarded the interests of minority provinces which now had equal status in the Senate. He produced the 1973 Constitution in an attempt to return to a form of parliamentary democracy and it was important since it is the basis upon which Pakistan has been governed to the end of the 20th century, apart from when it was suspended due to martial law. He also tried to improve the infant mortality and age expectancy rates by introducing Rural Health Centres and Basic Health Units. Pharmaceutical companies were banned from charging for a particular medical brand name and so medicines became cheaper. Amongst Bhutto's education reforms, free primary education was introduced. New schools were to be built and all private sector schools were nationalised. The aim was to increase the literacy rate and raise academic standards. Failures: One of the main weaknesses of the new constitution was that the focal point of political power lay with the party leadership and Bhutto in particular. When things went wrong, Bhutto was blamed. Banning pharmaceutical companies from charging for a medical brand and making medicines cheaper did see the profits of chemists fall drastically and as a result many international drug companies closed down their operations in Pakistan. The changes in education led to overcrowding in existing schools while new ones were built. The reforms were not very successful since the building of new schools and the recruitment of new teachers could not be achieved quickly and was also very expensive. Many families resented the reforms since it meant a loss of earnings for them.
17. [14] LEVEL 5: As Level 4 – also produces a judgement or evaluation