During the years of conflict, jungle and forest smugglers have done extensive damage. Deforestation is rampant in the absence of poor accountability and conflict. Poaching of wild life has increased and the presence of security forces have affected a lot of species indigenous to the region (Crook 2000). With the decrease of tourism in Kashmir due to conflict, indirect impacts on the landscape are evident. Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir, was recently declared as one of the hundred most endangered sites by the World Monument Fund since its architecture has been threatened by vandalism, neglect and armed conflict that escalated since the 1980s (Asif 2007). Even in Azad Kashmir, due to the contentious nature of the region, the indifference of the Pakistan government to the development and sustainability of the area in general—especially in the post earthquake scenario—an increase in poaching, illegal logging, hunting and extermination of wild life and species habitat is highly visible (Rehman 2008). Armed activity of almost thirty thousand personnel of the armed forces on its borders, four air bases in Balochistan and troops of the United States on the Afghan side of border as they engage in “hot pursuit”, impact hundred and thousands acres of land in Pakistan. The environmental damage these engagements cause definitely needs assessment. Extermination of wild life in Kargil during the Indo-Pak conflict and continued damage to the ecology and biodiversity of Kashmir since 1950 are glaring examples of the damage caused to the environment. The extent of environmental stress can be cited using the test cases of Rajasthan, Kashmir and Bangladesh borders, wherein bombings and troop movements, coupled with land mines, have destroyed the ecology of hundreds of miles of deserts or lush green lands (Greenpeace 1992). Stationing of troops on the Siachen Glacier has led to an unexpected increase in the use of plastic bags, destroying the serenity and environment of the mountain region. Apart from damaging land in the area, conflicts like Kargil have caused a lot of pollution in the region due to explosives and bombs . Though an eyeball to eyeball confrontation is absent between India and Pakistan, this has not stopped the armies of the two countries from hurling tonnes of explosives at each other. This continuous shelling that takes place on the borders of India and Pakistan has grave consequences for the people and ecology of border villages on both sides. In a lot of cases families have left ancestral homes in search of new jobs to avoid health and infrastructural consequences of these acts. The direct costs in terms of human casualties, collateral damage in the shape of destruction of infrastructure and standing crops are high in these areas but the indirect costs are even higher. Environmental Consequences of Militarisation Due to the political sensitivity of the region especially on the Indo-Pak border, military preparedness and militarisation of the region is a consistent effort on both sides. At high altitudes, conflict or preparedness for conflict has huge consequences for the environment; Siachen Glacier is a case in point. This glacier is the longest nonpolar glacier in the world and stretches 77 km. It is here that troops of both countries
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