For 25 aching years, the army has been engaged in hostilities on the world’s highest battlefield that has come to symbolise India’s unshakable resolve to hold on to the Siachen glacier.
The unknown Indian soldier has endured the extreme tensions at frigid heights of over 21,000 feet since the army made a pre-emptive move on April 13, 1984 to secure the glacier from Pakistani aggression under Operation Meghdoot.
The guns have been silent since the 2003 ceasefire with Pakistan, but the soldier’s task remains as demanding as ever.
“The peculiarities of weather and terrain pose a formidable challenge. We have lost more soldiers to avalanches, crevasses and medical complications than hostile fire,” said a senior army officer, who has commanded the Partapur-based 102 Infantry brigade which controls the glacier.
Around 3,000 men defend the 76-km-long glacier. The soldiers are stretched to the limits of their endurance at the Siachen Battle School, located at a height of 12,200 feet on the banks of Nubra, to prepare them for the three-month tenure.
Soldiers reach the farthest pickets after a punishing 28-day trek covering 128 km. So far, the army has lost at least 700 men, majority to the hostile weather.
So, what is the strategic value of this barren battlefield? Lieutenant General S.K. Sinha (retd), the former Jammu and Kashmir governor, explained: “Occupation of the glacier will not allow the Pakistani army to link up with the Chinese and pose threat to Ladakh. If we vacate our positions, the Pakistanis would take over the glacier and recapturing it would be virtually impossible.”
The glacier acts as a buffer between the Shaksgam valley under Chinese control and Baltistan, which is occupied by Pakistan. “Dominating positions on the Saltoro ridge give us a huge advantage over Pakistani posts located 3,000 feet below,” said a senior officer.
{{/usCountry}}The glacier acts as a buffer between the Shaksgam valley under Chinese control and Baltistan, which is occupied by Pakistan. “Dominating positions on the Saltoro ridge give us a huge advantage over Pakistani posts located 3,000 feet below,” said a senior officer.
{{/usCountry}}Helicopters remain the lifeline for the troops. The IAF’s Mi-17s and army Cheetahs drop stores at the glacier. Sometimes all a helicopter carries is a jerrycan of kerosene, making it the costliest fuel in the world — it costs over Rs 60,000 to fly a Cheetah for an hour.
Despite such hardships, the army has repeatedly failed to provide them with special clothing and equipment. After scrutinising a bunch of army contracts last year, the CAG criticised the army headquarters for gaping deficiencies in the procurement of jackets, trousers, sleeping bags, multi-purpose boots and woollen socks.
In some cases, troops got special items almost three years after a demand was made.