A Soldier's Romance with Siachen Glacier!
'Whether I sense god or the hallucinations of rarefied air I know not,
Is it the death trap of the Devil or the bounteous creation of God is dilemma to me,
But the truth I understand is that my puny self is alive and awestruck,
As I walk on the Hell below and the Heaven around me!' – Veteran Col RS Sidhu Launch of Operation 'MEGHDOOT'
Three decades and eight years back in time, on the Baisakhi of 1984, Indian Army in a daring military operation landed its troops along Saltoro ridgeline at Bilafond La,
followed by Sia La, to pre-empt Pakistan army plans to occupy Siachen Glacier. This successful landing, followed by more soldiers in successive waves of helicopter sorties, signalled the commencement of Operation 'MEGHDOOT' which today has the distinction of being the longest continuous military operation in the history of the Indian Army.
Lore of the Siachen
Bounded by the Saltoro Muztagh (mountain) to the west and the Siachen Muztagh to the east is located the Siachen (place of roses) Glacier or the Saicher Gharni as it was called in centuries gone by. Frequently traversed by the Baltis from beyond the Bilafond (butterfly) La (pass) to its west and the Yarkhandis to its east from the Teram (destroyed) Shehr (settlement) Glacier it has been mute witness to trade in materials, livestock and humans. Discovery of habitation ruins and shards of pottery on the Teram Shehr plateau by the neo-explorers of the 19th and 20th century, lend some veracity to these legends.
From below the Siachen Glacier emanates the Nubra (flowers and trees) river after which the valley is named. The valley extends along a north to south alignment fromIndira (Goddess Laxmi) Col /Turkistan La, the Northernmost points of the Siachen Glacier to Khardung (lower castle) ridge. The Khardung ridge, following an east to west alignment, lies just to the North of Leh (plateau). In the olden days the Nubra valley also provided summer passage at Saser (golden earth) La, across the Saser Muztagh for trading caravans moving from Leh to Yarkhand and beyond to Kashgar in Central Asia.
India Pakistan Rivalry on Siachen Glacier
After the 1971 War, the Shimla Indo-Pak agreement demarcated the altered ceasefire line upto the point known as NJ 9842, near the Shyok river, '…and thence north to the glaciers.' Taking advantage of this ambiguity Pakistan promoted many foreign expeditions between 1972 and 1983, accompanied by their army liaison officers across Gyong La, Bilafond La and Sia La, with the aim of laying claim to the region.
In 1984, intelligence reports revealed secret preparations by Pakistan to occupy the Siachen Glacier region. On 13 Apr 1984, the day of Baisakhi, in a pre-emptive move the Indian Army preceded Pakistan D-Day by several days and occupied the key passes of Bilafond La and Sia La on Saltoro ridgeline. Thus began 'Operation MEGHDOOT', the most daunting and courageous action being undertaken by the Indian Army on the highest and the coldest battlefield of the world.The firm success of the Indian Army on Siachen Glacier owes a lot to the dynamism of officers like Col Narendra 'Bull' Kumar and Capt Tsering Stobdan Kahlon who physically surveyed the glacier, the vision of Lt Gen ML Chhibber the Northern Army Commander, and the daring of Lt Gen (then Capt) Sanjay Kulkarni of 4 Kumaon, the first Indian soldier to land atop Bilafond La by a helicopter.
Unable to secure a lodgment on the Saltoro ridge despite successive attempts over next two decades, the Pakistan Army has foisted one of the biggest myths on their gullible citizenry that they are fighting on the Siachen Glacier. Thisglacier lies to the east of Saltoro ridgeline held by the Indian Army, denying their adversaries even a peek into the Siachen Glacier.
The alignment separating the armies of the two countries here is termed as the Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) and extends from NJ 9842 in the South to north-west of Indira Col, close to the India – China LAC. Most of the posts in the sector lie above 18000 feet and it takes 28 days to walk on the glacier to reach the farthest post. At those heights the human body finds it difficult to acclimatise and starts wasting out. Acute Mountain Sickness (severe headache, nausea, breathlessness, blood pressure abnormalities, severe loose motions), Pulmonary Oedema (formation of water in the lungs), Cerebral Oedema (formation of water in the brain region), Deep Vein Thrombosis (formation of blood clots in the veins) are some of the medical afflictions which can lead to fatality if not given urgent medical attention. Medical evacuation too is highly uncertain owing to the vagaries of the forbidding environment. Following the regulatory acclimatisation process plays a vital role in minimising high altitude related casualties.
Faith on the Frozen Heights
At the snout of this glacier lies the shrine of 'OP Baba', the highly revered guardian deity of all troops deployed in the Siachen region. The origins of the lore of 'OP Baba' are veiled in the mists of time that shroud the glacier itself. Strong belief prevails that OP Baba was an artillery OP who was killed in action while deployed on the glacier, his body was never recovered, and his immortal soul wanders the glacier warning the troops from time to time of impending disasters and enemy action. Not a soldier or a porter sets foot on the glacier without first paying obeisance at the shrine and subsequently offering thanks on de-induction.
In 2003, Late Dr APJ Abdul Kalam became the first President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces to visit the troops deployed in 'Operation Meghdoot'. When informally appraised about the guardian deity, he made an unscheduled visit to the shrine to personally pay obeisance.
Pull Back From Siachen Glacier A Bad Idea
Ceasefire along the Siachen Glacier was declared by both the countries in 2004, which continues to hold even today. Periodically unconfirmed reports emerge of discussions to affect a mutual pullback and demilitarizing the region. The strategic importance of Siachen Glacier lies in its providing depth to Leh from the North as also denying and providing critical alternate access to and from Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) and onwards to the Depsang Plains. The region assumes even greater significance with the emergence of a probable joint threat from Pakistan and China. Kargil 1999 and Galwan 2020 are glaring proof of the untrustworthiness of our adversaries, and should preclude any thoughts of Indian pullout from this sensitive and vital area.
(The author is a recipient of Sena Medal and has commanded the Headquarters Base Camp to Siachen Glacier. Can also be accessed at his blogspot www.valleysandvalour.blogspot.com . He is also the author of three books, 'Success from Being Mad' on entrepreneurship ventures by veterans, 'Elephant on the High Himalayas' on India China discourse, and co-author of 'Ladakh Through The Eyes of Whimsicals' a picture book on a motorcycle odyssey by four veterans to the remote peripheries of Western Himalayas and the Great Karakoram in L
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