Operation Meghdoot

Operation Meghdoot
Part of the Siachen conflict
Satellite imagery of the Siachen Glacier
Date Template:Date and age Location Siachen Glacier, Ladakh Result Indian Victory Territorial changes India gains control of the entire Siachen Glacier, and administers it as part of Ladakh
Belligerents
India	Pakistan
Commanders and leaders
Giani Zail Singh (President of India) Lt Gen P N Hoon (GOC, XV Corps) Brig Vijay Channa (Commander, 26 Sector) Lt. Col. D K Khanna	Gen. Zia-ul-Haq (President of Pakistan) Lt. Gen. Zahid Ali Akbar (Commander, X Corps) Brig. Pervez Musharraf
Strength
3,000+	3,000+
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown

Operation Meghdoot was the codename for the Indian Armed Forces 1984 operation launched to preempt Pakistan's competing Operation Ababeel to take full control of the Siachen Glacier in Ladakh on the tri-junction of the India–Pakistan-China border in the Himalayas. Even though Pakistan had conceived their Operation Ababeel in 1983, earlier than India, India preempted them in execution by launching Operation Meghdoot on the morning of 13 April 1984, four days earlier than Pakistan had planned to launch Operation Ababeel. Thus, India's Operation Meghdoot succeeded, and Pakistan's Operation Ababeel failed even before it began, resulting in Indian forces gaining control of the entire Siachen Glacier, which is the battlefield with the highest elevation in the world.

Currently, the Indian Army remains the first and only army in the world to have deployed tanks and other heavy ordnance at altitudes well over 5,000 meters. Up to ten infantry battalions each of the Indian Army and Pakistan Army are actively deployed at high altitudes of up to 6,400 meters throughout the region due to the present Siachen conflict.

Background

India-Pakistan conflict and vague demarcation of LOC

In the context of the wider India Pakistan wars and conflicts, the Siachen Glacier became a bone of contention following a vague demarcation of territories in the Karachi Agreement of July 1949 which did not exactly specify who had authority over the Siachen Glacier area. India and Pakistan had demarcated the borders of the disputed area in Ladakh by demarcating the Line of Actual Control (LOC) which ended at the Point NJ9842 and the area further north of this which lies in Siachen was not demarcated. Indian interpretation was that Pakistan territory extended only to about the Saltoro Ridge, where the territorial line's route after the last demarcated Point NJ9842 was "thence north to the glaciers." Pakistan interpretation was that their territory continued northeast from Point NJ9842 to the Karakoram Pass. As a result, both nations claimed the Siachen Glacier and the alpine heights around the Siachen Glacier.

1970s-80s: Pakistani permissions to foreigner's mountaineering expeditions in Siachen

In the 1970s and early 1980s, Pakistan permitted several mountaineering expeditions to climb the peaks in the Siachen region from the Pakistani side, perhaps in an attempt to reinforce their claim on the area as these expeditions received permits obtained from the Government of Pakistan and in many cases a liaison officer from the Pakistan Army accompanied the teams.

Notably, when Pakistan gave permission to a Japanese expedition to scale an important peak (Rimo I) in 1984, it further fueled the suspicion of the Indian Government of Pakistani attempts to legitimize their claim. The peak, located east of the Siachen Glacier, also overlooks the northwestern areas of the Aksai Chin, an area which is disputed between India, and China. The Indian military believed that such an expedition could further link up the northeastern side to the southwestern side of the Karakoram Range and eventually provide a strategic, if not tactical, advantage to Pakistan.

1978-early 1980s: Indian mountaineering expeditions to Siachen

In 1978, the Indian Army also allowed mountaineering expeditions to the glacier, approaching from its side. The first one launched in 1978 by Colonel Narinder Kumar of the Indian Army, who led an expedition to Teram Kangri, along with medical officer Captain AVS Gupta and S.C Vahie. The Indian Air Force provided valuable logistics support to this expedition and supply of fresh rations. The first air landing on the glacier was carried out on 6 October 1978 when two casualties were evacuated from the Advance Base Camp in a Chetak helicopter by Squadron Leader Monga and Flying Officer Manmohan Bahadur.

In 1980, the Commander of 3 Artillery Brigade, Brigadier K N Thadani VSM, led a 68-member Indian Army military expedition (consisting of 2 Majors, 5 Captains, 1 Second Lieutenant and 59 Other Ranks of the army) to Apsarasas-1 a part of the Apsarasas Kangri sub-range in the Siachen Glacier, Ladakh. On 18 September 1980, 16 members of the Indian Army expedition successfully scaled the summit. Then in 1984, Lieutenant Colonel Prem Chand Snow Tiger, of the Dogra Regiment led a 54-member Indian Army military expedition (consisting of Officers and Other Ranks of the army) to K12 on the Saltoro Range in the Siachen Glacier, Ladakh. On 17 October 1984, members of the Indian Army expedition successfully summited the peak.

Race against time: Pakistan's Operation Ababeel vs India's Operation Meghdoot

1983-84: Pakistan's Operation Ababeel

Operation Ababeel, conceived in 1983, was the code-name for a military operation planned by the Pakistani Armed Forces to capture the Siachen Glacier in the disputed Kashmir region, precipitating the Siachen Conflict. The operation aimed to establish Pakistani control over key points on the Siachen Glacier and the Saltoro Ridge, but it was preempted by India’s Operation Meghdoot, resulting in its failure.

Conception of Operation Ababeel

The planning phase of Operation Ababeel was finalized by late 1983, with the operation scheduled for early 1984. The Pakistani military intended to launch the operation in May 1984, as the harsh winter conditions of the Siachen Glacier made earlier deployment challenging. The Pakistani forced was code named Burzil Force, comprising Special Services Group (SSG) commandos and other units, was to be deployed from Skardu with ground-based commando tactics, leveraging Pakistan’s gravel road access to the Saltoro Range for rapid troop movement.

The conception of Operation Ababeel began in 1983, when Pakistani military planners, based at General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, identified the strategic importance of the Siachen Glacier. Intelligence reports indicated that India was conducting mountaineering expeditions in the region, raising concerns that India might assert control over the undemarcated territory beyond the Line of Control (LoC) point NJ9842, as per the 1949 Karachi Agreement. After analyzing the Indian Army's mountaineering expeditions, they feared that India might capture key ridges and mountain passes near the glacier, and decided to send their own troops first. Pakistan’s decision to launch Operation Ababeel was driven by the need to preempt Indian control and secure key passes, particularly on the Saltoro Ridge, which overlooks the Siachen Glacier. Pakistani generals, including then-Brigadier Pervez Musharraf, began planning the operation after confirming Indian patrols in the Siachen area. The plan involved the capture of strategic heights on the Saltoro Ridge on the western flank of Siachen Glacier, including passes like Bilafond La and Sia La, at altitudes up to 16,000 ft (4,877 m).

Procurement of high altitude equipment

In mid-1983, Pakistan ordered Arctic-weather gear from a London supplier, inadvertently alerting India, as the same supplier provided equipment to the Indian Army. This procurement was a key indicator of Pakistan’s intent to launch a high-altitude operation. The Indians were informed about this development and initiated their own plan, providing them with a head start.

1 May 1984: planned launch date for Operation Ababeel

The operation was set to commence around May 1, 1984, as the commanding officer of Pakistan’s Forces Command Northern Areas (FCNA) declined to deploy troops during winter due to lack of operational experience in such conditions.

India's Operation Meghdoot

Trans-Karakoram Tract

Conception of Operation Meghdoot

The Indian Army decided to deploy troops from the northern Ladakh region as well as some paramilitary forces to the glacier area. Most of the troops had been acclimatized to the extremities of the glacier through a training expedition to Antarctica in 1982 before eventually launching the operation to occupy the complete glacier.

13 April 1984 Vaisakhi day: planned launch date for Operation Meghdoot

Operation Meghdoot was led by Lieutenant General P N Hoon. The task of occupying the Saltoro ridge was given to the Commander of 26 Sector, Brigadier Vijay Channa, who was tasked with launching the operation between 10 and 30 April. He chose 13 April, as it was Vaisakhi, and the Pakistanis would be least expecting the Indians to launch an operation. The final approval was granted by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi after the Army brass gave a detailed presentation about the operation to the then Defence Minister R. Venkataraman. The preparations for Operation Meghdoot started with the airlift of troops and supplies by the Indian Air Force to the base of the glacier area.

Execution: Operation Meghdoot preempts Operation Ababeel

13 April 1984: India launches Operation Meghdoot

The Indian Army planned the operation to control the glacier by 13 April 1984, to preempt the Pakistani Army by about 4 days, as intelligence had reported that the Pakistani operation planned to start sending their forces by 17 April to liberate the glacier. The first phase of the operation began in March 1984, a battalion of the Kumaon Regiment under the command of Lt Col D K Khanna and units of the Ladakh Scouts, marched on foot with full battle packs through a snow bound Zoji La for days to avoid detection. The first unit led by Major R S Sadhu was tasked with establishing a position on the heights of the glacier. The next unit led by Captain Sanjay Kulkarni and Second Lieutenant Anant Bhuyan secured Bilafond La. The remaining units led by Captain P V Yadav moved forward and climbed for four days to secure the remaining heights of the Saltoro Ridge. By 13 April, approximately 300 Indian troops were dug into the critical peaks and passes of the glacier.

17 April 1984: Pakistan launches Operation Ababeel

By the time Pakistan's advanced reconnaissance troops managed to get to the Saltoro Ridge area on 17 April 1984, for the full launch of Operation Ababeel on 1 May 1984, they found that the Indian Army had control over all major mountain passes of Sia La, Bilafond La and Gyong La and all the commanding heights of the Saltoro Ridge west of the Siachen Glacier. Handicapped by the altitude and the limited time, Pakistan could only manage to control the Saltoro Ridge's western slopes and foothills; despite the fact that Pakistan possessed more ground accessible routes to the area, unlike Indian access which was largely reliant on air drops for supplies due to the steeper eastern side of the glacier.

Outcome: Success of Operation Meghdoot and failure of Operation Ababeel

Operation Ababeel failed to materialize as planned due to India’s preemptive Operation Meghdoot, launched on April 13, 1984. Indian intelligence, including inputs from the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) station chief in Srinagar, Vikram Sood, alerted the Indian Army to Pakistan’s plans. The Indian troops, led by the Kumaon Regiment and Ladakh Scouts, secured the Siachen Glacier and the Saltoro Ridge, including key passes like Bilafond La, Sia La, and Gyong La, just 48 hours before Pakistan’s intended launch. This rendered Pakistan’s plan unfeasible, as Indian forces established control over the glacier and its approaches. Pakistan’s Burzil Force was unable to execute the planned assault, and Pakistani troops instead liberated positions surrounding Indian posts, leading to a stalemate where both sides maintained high-altitude deployments within shooting range. The Indian Army advance by then controlled 985.71 sq mi (2,553.0 km²) of its own territory. Camps were soon converted into permanent posts by both countries. Operation Ababeel was effectively abandoned as a result of India’s decisive action.

Casualties

No reliable data is available on the number of casualties on both sides during this particular operation. Both sides incurred most of their casualties from the weather and the terrain; and avalanches and crevasses during patrols.

Aftermath

Strategic Indian control

The operation resulted in India gaining the 70 kilometers long Siachen Glacier and all of its tributary glaciers, as well as the three main passes on the Saltoro Ridge immediately west of the glacier; Sia La, Bilafond La, and Gyong La. Thus, giving India the tactical advantage of holding higher grounds. The AGPL runs roughly along the Saltoro Ridge which extends nearly 120 kilometers from Point NJ9842 to the Shaksgam Tract (a part of Gilgit-Baltistan; which Pakistan had ceded to China in 1963).

Cost drain

The operation and the continued cost of maintaining logistics to the area is a major drain on both militaries.

1987-89: Pakistan's failed attempts to recapture and India's successful Operation Rajiv

Pakistan launched an all-out assault in 1987 and again in 1989 to capture the ridge and passes held by India. The first assault was headed by Pervez Musharraf (then a Brigadier) and initially managed to capture a few high points before being pushed back. Later the same year, as a consequence of India's counter-attack in Operation Rajiv Pakistan lost at least one major Pakistani post, the "Quaid", which came under Indian control as Bana Post, in recognition of Bana Singh who launched a daylight attack, codenamed Operation Rajiv, after climbing 1,500 ft (460 m) of ice cliff. Bana Singh was awarded the Param Vir Chakra–the highest gallantry award of India for the assault that captured the post.

Bana Post is the highest battlefield post in the world at a height of 22,143 feet (6,749 m) above sea level. During 1988 Pakistani forces made repeated attempts to take Bana Post, during their last attempt to take this key post on 9 May 1988 they fixed four ropes and a ladder system on the ice wall below the post. The attack was unsuccessful, but the ropes and ladder system fixed by Pakistanis remained in position, making it possible for them to be used again in fresh attempts to take the post. On 18 May 1988 Indians cut two of the four. On 26 May 1988, the Observation Post Officer, Captain Pratap Singh of 75 Medium Regiment was killed by a grenade while removing the ladder.

1999: Futile Kargil War

In 1999, the area saw the Pakistan's Operation Badr and India's counter-attack in Operation Safed Sagar during the Kargil War.

In popular media

• Books
  • Beyond NJ 9842: The Siachen Saga
  • Meghdoot: The Beginning of the Coldest War

• TV documentary

• • Operation Meghdoot: How India Captured Siachen (Battle Ops) (2018) is a TV documentary which premièred on the Discovery Channel's Veer by Discovery series, Battle Ops.

See also

• Borders
  • Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL)
  • India–Pakistan International Border (IB)
  • Line of Control (LoC)
  • Line of Actual Control (LAC)
  • Sir Creek (SC)
  • Borders of China
  • Borders of India
  • Borders of Pakistan

• Conflicts
  • Kashmir conflict
  • Siachen conflict
  • Sino-Indian conflict

• Disputed territories
  • List of disputed territories of China
  • List of disputed territories of India
  • List of disputed territories of Pakistan
  • Northern Areas
  • Trans-Karakoram Tract
  • Sino-Pakistan Agreement for transfer of Trans-Karakoram Tract to China

• List of extreme points of India

External links

• Indian Air Force
• War at the top of the World - Article in TIME.
• The buildup to Operation Meghdoot by Wing Commander M. Bahadur