April 13 marks a glorious and strategic milestone in the annals of Indian military history. It was the day the Siachen glacier came under decisive Indian control four decades ago through Operation Meghdoot. It brings back memories of humongous determination of our armed forces at the inhospitable terrain around 20,000 ft above sea level, where atmospheric oxygen is thin and night temperature could plummet to minus 40 degree Celsius. In a sudden swoop on April 13, 1984, Indian soldiers occupied almost all peaks and passes in the Saltoro ridge region hours before Pakistan had intended to do so as part of its cartographic aggression.
Operation Meghdoot marked the beginning of the longest ongoing military operation in the highest and coldest global battlefield. An estimated 2,000 soldiers on the Indian side have since laid down their lives on Siachen, primarily due to extreme weather conditions. A bilateral truce announced in 2003 notwithstanding, both sides haven’t withdrawn their presence there.
Much has changed in Siachen over the years as technological and logistical advancements have helped improve the living conditions of soldiers and given them a better chance to withstand the elements—avalanches, frost bites and other adverse conditions. An extensive network of tracks, all-terrain vehicles, special clothing, and advanced rations, besides heavy-lift helicopters and logistic drones for supplies in otherwise inaccessible areas have enhanced the support system on the icy frontier.
The 40th anniversary of Siachen’s control came and went without much attention from the otherwise voluble netas, busy as they are with the ongoing election campaign. Attempts at demilitarising it were made at least thrice—in 1989, 1992 and 2006—but they fell through. Both sides came closest to clinching a deal during UPA-I under Manmohan Singh’s watch in 2006, but it was spiked by policy hawk M K Narayanan, the national security advisor of the day.
Details of how Narayanan’s distrust of Pakistan derailed the initiative were revealed by then foreign secretary Shyam Saran in his 2017 memoir How India Sees the World. Siachen and Sir Creek in Gujarat could be the first bilateral friction points that could be resolved if Pakistan were to show real intent to put the terror genie back in the bottle. But expecting that to happen in the short term would be naive.