The historic Ledo Road, more popularly known as the Stilwell Road, was constructed by the Allied forces during the Second World War as an alternative for the Burma Road on the China-Burma-India theatre, to supply the forces fighting against the Japanese. The road which is 1,736 kilometres long, starts from Ledo in Assam and passes through Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast India to enter Myanmar through the Pangsau Pass ultimately ending at Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province in Southwest China.

The Indian side of the Ledo Road has been developed by the Assam and Arunachal Pradesh state governments, thereby showing an interest in opening up the road which will provide a gateway for Northeast India to Myanmar and further on to Southwest China. The Indian government has however been non-committal about the prospects of opening up the road and has not shown initiative to bring it up substantively in bilateral discussions with Myanmar. Myanmar on the other hand has been reluctant to open up the road or even develop it for use, as it does not want international activity in a region it does not have much control over. In Myanmar this region falls under the control of the Kachin Independence Army, with which the military junta has had a tenuous ceasefire arrangement since 1994.

India has to take account of a number of insurgent groups which are operating from the region where the Ledo Road leads up to the Kachin state in Myanmar, with the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagalim-Khaplang (NSCN-K) and United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) being prominent among them. The Indian army is engaged in containing insurgent activity in the region, which is also a major line of supply for narcotics and arms and ammunition to Northeast India. This has prompted New Delhi not to engage purposively with Myanmar for the opening of the Ledo Road, and the Ministry of External Affairs has in the past year issued statements that discussions on the issue will not be taken up given Myanmar’s objections.
 
The road however retains its hold over the imagination of the people of Northeast India, it has been the natural passage for trading activity in the past, and many of tribes settled in Assam have used this route to migrate. One such example is of the Nam-Phake tribe in Nahorkotiya in Upper Assam, that migrated from Hukawng valley to ultimately settle in Assam, and has since Indian independence seen the road closed due to national security concerns and the sheer lack of governmental policy initiative to unlock borders in Northeast India. Naga tribes on both sides of the border in India and Myanmar are another strong cultural link which is waiting to be recognized, but is seen by New Delhi only as conduits of insurgency. These tribes are now rallying for the opening up of the Ledo Road, and they see themselves as the connecting bridge between Northeast India and Myanmar, and beyond to Southwest China. This strong cultural link is what New Delhi has been ignoring for over sixty years.

The Pangsau Pass Winter Festival which happens every year in January demonstrates the strong cultural links across the region, with various tribes coming together underlining the need to open borders for more such people-to-people contact and promoting trade and commerce. The Land Customs Station at Nampong in Arunachal Pradesh has not been used optimally after its inauguration by former Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh in late 2007. The Naga and Kachin tribes-people across the Pangsau Pass come to the Indian side every Friday which is known as Burma Day, to buy essential commodities and sell some of their produce. The 15th and 30th of every month is known as India Day, where Indians are allowed to cross over to Myanmar.

Some positive signals have come from the military government in Myanmar recently, with statements from key government officials that the road can be opened and be connected to the super-highway already in place in the Myanmar-China section. India has to seize this opportunity to help realize the huge prospects for development in the region. A Second World War vintage car rally was organized in January, to mark the historical significance of the Ledo Road and the promise that it holds for Northeast India.

The issue of opening the Ledo Road has been brought up time and again by both India and Myanmar, so much so that it has become an annual ritual, but each time it has remained a diplomatic non-starter. New Delhi should see this as an opportunity to strengthen its engagement with Myanmar in the larger strategic and economic perspective and make adequate use of the Ledo Road.