Siachen conflict: Difference between revisions

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}

| date              = {{Start date|df=yes|1984|04|13}} – {{End date|df=yes|2003|11|25}}<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/2003/11/26/stories/2003112604940100.htm |title=India, Pak. ceasefire comes into being |last=Baruah |first=Amit |access-date=21 April 2018 |work=[[The Hindu]] |location=26 November 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124092845/http://www.thehindu.com/2003/11/26/stories/2003112604940100.htm |archive-date=24 November 2016 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RrKYBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA37 |title=The Global Rise of Asian Transformation: Trends and Developments in Economic Growth Dynamics |publisher=Springer |year=2014 |isbn=9781137412362 |editor1=P. Hoontrakul |editor2=C. Balding |editor3=R. Marwah |edition=illustrated |page=37 |quote=Siachen conflict (1984—2003)<br>Victorious: India  / Defeated: Pakistan}}</ref><br>({{Age in years, months, weeks and days|month1=04|day1=13|year1=1984|month2=11|day2=25|year2=2003}})

* 36 casualties during initial conflict<ref>{{cite news|url=https://m.timesofindia.com/india/army-chief-to-visit-siachen-this-week/amp_articleshow/73147134.cms|title=Army chief to visit Siachen this week|work=[[The Times of India]]|date=8 January 2020}}</ref><ref name="weekley">{{cite book|title=The Illustrated Weekly of India – Volume 110, Issues 14–26|quote=Pakistani troops were forced out with over 200 casualties as against 36 Indian fatalities|publisher=Times of India}}</ref>

* 1,100+ dead (including non-combat fatalities) after initial conflict<ref name="supreme sacrifice">{{cite web|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/rajnath-singh-flies-to-siachen-today-his-first-visit-as-defence-minister-2046948|title=Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Bonds With Soldiers At Siachen Over Jalebi|work=NDTV|date=4 June 2019}}</ref><ref name="supreme">{{cite web|url=https://www.timesnownews.com/india/article/rajnath-singh-visits-siachen-to-review-security-situation-pays-tribute-to-martyrs-pics/430401|title=Rajnath Singh visits Siachen to review security situation, pays tribute to martyrs - PICS|quote=Rajnath Singh also paid tribute to the martyred soldiers who sacrificed their lives while serving in Siachen. He went on to say, "More than 1,100 soldiers have made supreme sacrifice defending the Siachen glacier. The nation will always remain indebted to their service and sacrifice."|date=3 June 2019|work=Times Now News}}</ref><ref>[http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-indian-soldiers-have-died-in-siachen-since-1984/20120828.htm 846 Indian soldiers have died in Siachen since 1984 – Rediff.com News] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120912045935/http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-indian-soldiers-have-died-in-siachen-since-1984/20120828.htm |date=12 September 2012 }}. Rediff.com. Retrieved on 12 July 2013.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://m.timesofindia.com/india/six-feared-dead-after-avalanche-hits-army-positions-in-northern-siachen/articleshow/72114684.cms|title=Six dead after avalanche hits Army positions in Northern Siachen|date=19 November 2019|work=[[The Times of India]] (TOI)}}</ref>

* 200 casualties during initial conflict<ref name="weekley">{{cite book|title=The Illustrated Weekly of India – Volume 110, Issues 14–26|quote=Pakistani troops were forced out with over 200 casualties as against 36 Indian fatalities|publisher=Times of India}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://m.thehindu.com/news/national/in-siachen-869-army-men-died-battling-the-elements/article7978149.ece|title=In Siachen 869 army men died battling the elements|work=The Hindu|access-date=12 December 2015}}</ref>

The '''Siachen conflict''', sometimes referred to as the '''Siachen Glacier conflict''' or the '''Siachen War''', was a military conflict [[Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts|between India and Pakistan]] over the disputed {{convert|1000|sqmi|km2|adj=mid}}<ref name="time.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,958254-2,00.html|title=The Himalayas War at the Top Of the World|first=Edward W.|last=Desmond|date=31 July 1989|via=www.time.com|access-date=11 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114104526/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C958254-2%2C00.html|archive-date=14 January 2009|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> [[Siachen Glacier]] region in [[Kashmir]]. The conflict was started in 1984 by India's successful capture of the Siachen Glacier as part of [[Operation Meghdoot]], and continued with [[Operation Rajiv]] in 1987. India took control of the {{convert|70|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} Siachen Glacier and its tributary glaciers, as well as all the main passes and heights of the [[Saltoro Mountains|Saltoro Ridge]] immediately west of the glacier, including [[Sia La]], [[Bilafond La]], and [[Gyong La]]. Pakistan controls the glacial valleys immediately west of the Saltoro Ridge.<ref name="Wirsing">{{cite book  |last = Wirsing  |first = Robert  |title = Pakistan's security under Zia, 1977–1988: the policy imperatives of a peripheral Asian state  |publisher = Palgrave Macmillan, 1991  |isbn = 9780312060671|date = 15 November 1991 }}</ref><ref name="Child">{{cite book  |last = Child  |first = Greg  |title = Thin air: encounters in the Himalayas  |publisher = The Mountaineers Books, 1998  |isbn = 9780898865882  |year = 1998  |url-access = registration  |url = https://archive.org/details/thinairencounter00chil  }}{{page needed|date=April 2021}}</ref>{{page needed|date=April 2021}} A cease-fire went into effect in 2003,<ref name="Watson">{{cite news|last=Watson|first=Paul|date=26 November 2003|title=India and Pakistan Agree to Cease-Fire in Kashmir|work=Los Angeles Times|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2003/nov/26/world/fg-ceasefire26|url-status=live|access-date=27 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170427193640/http://articles.latimes.com/2003/nov/26/world/fg-ceasefire26|archive-date=27 April 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref> but both sides maintain a heavy military presence in the area. The conflict has resulted in thousands of deaths, mostly due to natural hazards.<ref name=":3">{{cite magazine |last1=Wilkinson |first1=Freddie |title=How a tiny line on a map led to conflict in the Himalaya |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/how-a-tiny-line-on-a-map-led-to-conflict-in-the-himalaya-feature |access-date=19 November 2021 |work=[[National Geographic]] |date=18 February 2021 |language=en}}</ref> External commentators of have characterized it as pointless, given the perceived uselessness of the territory, and indicative of bitter stubbornness on both sides.<ref name=":3" />

The Siachen Glacier is the highest battleground on earth,<ref>VAUSE, Mikel.  Peering Over the Edge: The Philosophy of Mountaineering, p. 194.</ref><ref>CHILD, Greg.  Mixed Emotions: Mountaineering Writings, p. 147.</ref> where [[India]] and [[Pakistan]] have fought intermittently since 13 April 1984. Both countries maintain a permanent military presence in the region at a height of over {{convert|6000|m}}. More than 2000 people have died in this inhospitable terrain, mostly due to weather extremes and the natural hazards of [[mountain warfare]].{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

Following the UN-mediated ceasefire in 1949, the line between India and Pakistan was demarcated up to point NJ9842 at the foot of the Siachen Glacier. The largely inaccessible terrain beyond this point was not demarcated,<ref name=":0">{{cite book|author1=P R Chari|author2=Pervaiz Iqbal Cheema|author3=Stephen P Cohen|title=Perception, Politics and Security in South Asia: The Compound Crisis of 1990 (2003)|publisher=Routledge (London); 1 edition (May 16, 2003)|isbn=978-0415307970|page=53|edition=2003|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AW3zXB85gNoC&q=none+of+these+explanations+are+mutually+exclusive+and+none+seem+to+fully+explain+the+onset&pg=PA53|access-date=4 June 2015|date=2 September 2003}}</ref> but delimited as '''thence north to the glaciers''' in paragraph B 2 (d) of the Karachi Agreement.

Maps from Pakistan, the United Nations and various global atlases depicted the CFL ending at NJ9842 until the mid 1960s.<ref name=tribune/> United States Defense Mapping Agency (now [[National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency]]) began in about 1967 to show a boundary on their Tactical Pilotage Charts as proceeding from NJ9842 east-northeast to the [[Karakoram Pass]] at 5,534&nbsp;m (18,136&nbsp;ft) on the China border.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/maps/tpc/txu-pclmaps-oclc-22834566_g-7d.jpg|date=1967|title=TPC G-7D|publisher=US Defense Mapping Agency|access-date=5 January 2019}}</ref>  This line was replicated on US, Pakistani and other maps in the 1970s and 1980s, which India believed to be a [[Cartography#Cartographic errors|cartographic error]].<ref name="Outsideonline.com"/>

In 1977, an Indian colonel named [[Narendra Kumar (mountaineer)|Narendra Kumar]], offended by international expeditions venturing onto the glacier from the Pakistani side, persuaded his superiors to allow him to lead a 70-man team of climbers and porters to the glacier.<ref name=":1">{{cite news|last=Desmond/Kashmir|first=Edward W.|date=31 July 1989|title=The Himalayas War at the Top Of the World|work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|publisher=|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,958254-2,00.html|url-status=dead|access-date=11 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114104526/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C958254-2%2C00.html|archive-date=14 January 2009|df=dmy-all}}</ref> They returned in or around 1981, climbed several peaks and walked the length of Siachen.

September 1987: Operation Vajrashakti/Op Qaidat: The Pakistan Army under Brig. Gen. [[Pervez Musharraf]] (later [[President of Pakistan]]) launched Operation Qaidat to retake Qaid peak. For this purpose units from Pakistan Army [[Special Services Group|SSG]] (1st and 3rd battalions) assembled a major task force at the newly constructed Khaplu garrison.<ref>{{cite book|author=J. N. Dixit | title=India-Pakistan in war & peace| publisher=Routledge | isbn=0-415-30472-5| author-link=J. N. Dixit| year=2002}}(pp. 39)</ref> Having detected Pakistani movements ahead of Operation Qaidat,  the Indian Army initiated Op Vajrashakti to secure the now renamed Bana Post from Pakistani attack.<ref name="Naveen (Retired)">[https://cosmicwarrior.wordpress.com/2007/09/18/op-rajiv-a-battle-that-broke-pakistans-adventurism-on-the-glacier/ Op Rajeev] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713163003/https://cosmicwarrior.wordpress.com/2007/09/18/op-rajiv-a-battle-that-broke-pakistans-adventurism-on-the-glacier/ |date=13 July 2015 }}, 18 September 2007</ref><ref name="BaghelNusser">{{cite journal  |title=Securing the heights; The vertical dimension of the Siachen conflict between India and Pakistan in the Eastern Karakoram |author=Baghel, Ravi |pages=31–32 |date=17 June 2015 |publisher=Elsevier |author2=Nusser, Marcus |doi=10.1016/j.polgeo.2015.05.001 |volume=48 |journal=Political Geography  |df=dmy-all |doi-access=free }}</ref>

Further attempts to reclaim positions were launched by Pakistan in 1990, 1995, 1996 and even in early 1999, just prior to the [[Lahore Declaration|Lahore Summit]].{{citation needed|date=August 2017}}

The Indian army controls all of the {{convert|76|km|mi}} and 2553sq km area long Siachen Glacier and all of its tributary glaciers, as well as all the main passes and heights of the [[Saltoro Mountains|Saltoro Ridge]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/846-indian-soldiers-have-died-in-siachen-since-1984-112082802005_1.html|title=846 Indian soldiers have died in Siachen since 1984|first=Ajai|last=Shukla|date=28 August 2012|via=Business Standard|access-date=13 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180409171333/http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/846-indian-soldiers-have-died-in-siachen-since-1984-112082802005_1.html|archive-date=9 April 2018|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> immediately west of the glacier, including [[Sia La]], [[Bilafond La]], and [[Gyong La]]—thus holding onto the tactical advantage of high ground.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/ARMY/history/siachen/290-confrontation.html|quote= Detailed description of Indian forces taking control of Bilafond La in 1987|title= Confrontation at Siachen, 26 June 1987|publisher= Bharat-rakshak.com|access-date= 9 September 2016|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160917012222/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/ARMY/history/siachen/290-confrontation.html|archive-date= 17 September 2016|url-status= live|df= dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|quote=Contrary to the oft-copied misstatement in the old error-plagued summary|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/siachen.htm|title=War|publisher=Globalsecurity.org|access-date=7 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140905053811/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/siachen.htm|archive-date=5 September 2014|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="fronltine_hindu">{{cite news | url=http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl2304/stories/20060310001704400.htm | title=For the first time, the leaders of India and Pakistan seem close to finding a solution to the Kashmir problem. | work=A working paper on Kashmir | date=10 March 2006 | access-date=9 September 2016 | author=NOORANI, A.G. | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160111072101/http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl2304/stories/20060310001704400.htm | archive-date=11 January 2016 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9807EFDA1431F930A15756C0A96F958260&sec=&spon=&&scp=1&sq=%22May%2023,%201999%22%20%22Roof%20of%20the%20World%22&st=cse|first= Barry |last= Bearak |title= THE COLDEST WAR; Frozen in Fury on the Roof of the World |access-date= 20 February 2009 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date= 23 May 1999}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.sandia.gov/cooperative-monitoring-center/_assets/documents/sand20075670.pdf |title= Demilitarization of the Siachen Conflict Zone |access-date= 9 September 2016 |last= Hakeem |first= Asad |author2= Gurmeet Kanwal |author3= Michael Vannoni |author4= Gaurav Rajen |date= 1 September 2007 |work= Sandia Report |publisher= Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, USA |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170128004555/http://www.sandia.gov/cooperative-monitoring-center/_assets/documents/sand20075670.pdf |archive-date= 28 January 2017 |url-status= live |df= dmy-all }}</ref> Indians have been able to hold on to the tactical advantage of the high ground... Most of India's many outposts are west of the Siachen Glacier along the [[Saltoro Ridge|Saltoro Range]]. In an academic study with detailed maps and satellite images, co-authored by brigadiers from both the Pakistani and Indian military, pages 16 and 27: "Since 1984, the Indian army has been in physical possession of most of the heights on the Saltoro Range west of the Siachen Glacier, while the Pakistan army has held posts at lower elevations of western slopes of the spurs emanating from the Saltoro ridgeline.  The Indian army has secured its position on the ridgeline."{{cite this quote|date=April 2018}}

A cease-fire went into effect in 2003.  Even before then, more soldiers were killed every year due to severe weather coditions than enemy fire. The two sides by 2003 had lost an estimated 2,000 personnel primarily due to [[frostbite]], [[avalanches]] and other complications.  Together, the nations have about 150 manned outposts along the glacier, with some 3,000 troops each.  Official figures for maintaining these outposts are put at ~$300 and ~$200&nbsp;million for India and Pakistan respectively. India built the world's highest [[helipad]] on the glacier at [[Point Sonam]], 21,000 feet (6,400&nbsp;m) above the sea level, to supply its troops. The problems of reinforcing or evacuating the high-altitude ridgeline have led to India's development of the [[Advanced Light Helicopter|Dhruv]] Mk III helicopter, powered by the [[Shakti engine]], which was flight-tested to lift and land personnel and stores from the [[Sonam post]], the highest permanently manned post in the world.<ref>{{cite news|last = Shukla|first = Ajai|url = http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/in-siachen-dhruv-provesworld-beater/427533/|title = In Siachen, Dhruv proves a world-beater|date = 20 January 2013|orig-year = First published 7 March 2011|journal = Business Standard|place = New Delhi|access-date = 7 March 2011|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110806070753/http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/in-siachen-dhruv-provesworld-beater/427533/|archive-date = 6 August 2011|url-status = live|df = dmy-all}}</ref> India also installed the world's highest [[telephone booth]] on the glacier.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-67743542.html |access-date=11 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714222017/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-67743542.html|journal = Denver Rocky Mountain News|archive-date=14 July 2014|title = India Installs World's Highest Phone Booth Soldiers Fighting Along Kashmir Glacier Can Now Call Families, Army Says}}</ref>

In 2011, 24 Indian soldiers died on the Siachen glacier from the climate and accidents.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title = 50 Indian soldiers die in Siachen in 3 yrs|url = http://www.nationalturk.com/en/50-indian-soldiers-die-in-siachen-in-3-yrs-52726|website = www.nationalturk.com|access-date = 5 February 2016|first = National Turk|last = News|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160604004726/http://www.nationalturk.com/en/50-indian-soldiers-die-in-siachen-in-3-yrs-52726/|archive-date = 4 June 2016|url-status = live|df = dmy-all}}</ref> On 22 July, two Indian officers burned to death when a fire caught on their shelter.<ref>{{cite web|title = Indian army officers killed in Siachen fire – BBC News|url = https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-14245688|website = BBC News|access-date = 5 February 2016|language = en-GB|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160219195608/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-14245688|archive-date = 19 February 2016|url-status = live|df = dmy-all}}</ref>

In the early morning of 7 April 2012, an [[2012 Gayari Sector avalanche|avalanche hit a Pakistani military headquarters]] in the Gayari Sector, burying 129  soldiers of the 6th [[Northern Light Infantry]] battalion and 11 civilian contractors.<ref name="bbc_avalanche">{{cite news|title=Pakistan resumes search for 135 buried by avalanche|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17643625|access-date=28 April 2012|newspaper=BBC News|date=8 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120413133018/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17643625|archive-date=13 April 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="aljazeera1">{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2012/04/20124755454785414.html|title=Huge search for trapped Pakistani soldiers|date=7 April 2012|publisher=Al Jazeera English|access-date=7 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120409214140/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2012/04/20124755454785414.html|archive-date=9 April 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In the aftermath of the disaster, Pakistan's army chief General [[Ashfaq Parvez Kayani]] suggested India and Pakistan should withdraw all troops from the contested glacier.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Pakistan army chief urges India on glacier withdrawal – BBC News|url = https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-17753848|website = BBC News|access-date = 5 February 2016|language = en-GB|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160219195609/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-17753848|archive-date = 19 February 2016|url-status = live|df = dmy-all}}</ref>

On 12 December, an avalanche killed 6 Indian soldiers in the Sub Sector Hanif in [[Turtuk]] area, when troops of the 1st Assam regiment were moving between posts.<ref>{{cite web|title = Politics|url = http://www.livemint.com/Politics/pzIgZRAQpN4qXw7476kdEJ/Avalanche-kills-six-Indian-soldiers-on-Siachen-glacier.html |website=www.livemint.com/ |access-date= 4 February 2016|last = AFP|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180108051834/http://www.livemint.com/Politics/pzIgZRAQpN4qXw7476kdEJ/Avalanche-kills-six-Indian-soldiers-on-Siachen-glacier.html|archive-date = 8 January 2018|url-status = live|df = dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = Six Army soldiers killed in Siachen avalanche, one missing|url = http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/six-army-soldiers-killed-in-siachen-avalanche-one-missing-507669|website = NDTV.com|access-date = 4 February 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160205062528/http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/six-army-soldiers-killed-in-siachen-avalanche-one-missing-507669|archive-date = 5 February 2016|url-status = live|df = dmy-all}}</ref> In 2012, a total of 12 Indian soldiers died of hostile weather conditions.<ref name=":2" />

On 4 January 2016, four Indian soldiers of the [[Third Ladakh Scouts|Ladakh Scouts]], were killed in an avalanche on the Southern Glacier while on patrol duty in Nobra Valley.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Siachen avalanche kills four Indian Army soldiers – Firstpost|url = http://www.firstpost.com/india/siachen-avalanche-kills-four-indian-army-soldiers-2570118.html|website = Firstpost|access-date = 4 February 2016|language = en-US|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160206143031/http://www.firstpost.com/india/siachen-avalanche-kills-four-indian-army-soldiers-2570118.html|archive-date = 6 February 2016|url-status = live|df = dmy-all}}</ref>

On 14 July 2018, 10 Indian Army soldiers were killed as result of Avalanche in Siachen.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://m.economictimes.com/news/defence/siachen-avalanche-tragedy-names-of-deceased-soldiers-released/articleshow/50870651.cms|title=Siachen avalanche tragedy: Names of deceased soldiers released|date=14 July 2018|work=Economic Times}}</ref>

On 3 June 2019, Indian defense minister [[Rajnath Singh]] visited the Indian army's forward posts and base camp in Siachen. He interacted with the Indian soldiers deployed in Siachen and commended their courage. He claimed that more than 1,100 Indian soldiers have died defending the Siachen glacier.<ref name="supreme sacrifice"/><ref name="supreme"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://m.hindustantimes.com/india-news/rajnath-to-visit-siachen-today-with-army-chief/story-xe8OARfsMq3oL7jVFlEPVP.html|title='I salute,' tweets defence minister Rajnath Singh from Siachen Glacier|work=Hindustan Times|date=3 June 2019}}</ref>

* {{cite magazine |last1=Wilkinson |first1=Freddie |title=How a tiny line on a map led to conflict in the Himalaya |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/how-a-tiny-line-on-a-map-led-to-conflict-in-the-himalaya-feature |access-date=19 November 2021 |work=[[National Geographic]] |date=18 February 2021 |language=en}}