NEW DELHI: The Indian Army on Thursday turned down the Pakistan Army’s offer to assist it in the rescue operations for 10 Indian soldiers trapped under heavy snow in Siachen after an avalanche hit their post.
The soldiers were later confirmed to have died in the avalanche.
Officials said Director General of Military Operations Lt Gen Ranbir Singh on Thursday declined his Pakistani counterpart’s offer of help, saying adequate resources have already been put in place by the Indian side.
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According to Army sources, Pakistan’s DGMO Maj Gen Amir Riaz called up his Indian counterpart earlier in the day and offered help.
Such calls are routine whenever any incident happens on or near the border.
"We thanked them for the gesture but since our resources and teams are well placed and adequate, we said that presently we don’t require any help,” the sources said.
The offer of help came over 30 hours after the incident.
In 2012, the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh offered Pakistan humanitarian assistance to help locate survivors of a massive avalanche that hit a Pakistani Army camp on the Siachen glacier in which 135 soldiers and civilians died. The Pakistan authorities turned down the request then.