Operation Meghdoot
was the name given to the attack launched by the Indian Military to capture the Siachen Glacier
in the disputed Kashmir
region,
precipitating the Siachen
Conflict.
Launched on April 13, 1984, this military operation was unique as the
first assault launched in the world's highest
battlefield. The military action
eventually resulted in Indian troops managing to gain control of
the entire Siachen
Glacier.Today, the
occpation of locations along what is known as the
Actual Ground Position Line
(AGPL) continues to be known as Operation Meghdoot, with up to 10
Infantry Battalions each of the
Indian
Army and
Pakistani Army actively
deployed in altitudes up to 6,400 metres (21,000 ft).
Cause of conflict
The
Siachen
Glacier became a bone of contention following a vague
demarcation of territory as per the Simla Agreement of 1972, which did not
exactly specify who had authority over the Siachen Glacier area. As a result of this, both nations lay
claim to the barren land.
In the 1970s and early 80s, Pakistan
permitted
several mountaineering expeditions to
climb the peaks in the Siachen region. This served to
reinforce their claim on the area as these expeditions arrived on
the glacier with a permit obtained from the
Government of Pakistan. Indian
sources claim that in many cases a
liaison officer from the
Pakistan army accompanied the teams.
In 1978
the Indian Army began closely monitoring the situation in the
region and concurrently India
also allowed
mountaineering expeditions to the glacier, approaching from its
side. The most notable one was the one launched by Colonel
N.
Kumar
of the Indian Army, who mounted an Army expedition to Teram Kangri
as a counter-exercise.
When
Pakistan gave permission to a Japanese
expedition
to scale an important peak (Rimo I
) in 1984, it
further prompted Indian anger. The peak, located east
of the Siachen
Glacier, also overlooks the northwestern areas of the
Aksai
Chin
area which is occupied by China
but claimed
by India.
The Indian
military believed that such an expedition could further a link for
a trade route from the southwestern (Pakistani) to the northeastern
(Chinese) side of the Karakoram Range
and eventually provide a strategic, if not
tactical, advantage to the Pakistan
Military.
The operation
The Indian Military decided to take action to stop future
expeditions from the Pakistani side and eventually to prevent
Pakistan from staking its claim on the glacier.
Accordingly, the
Indian military brought to the glacier area troops from Northern
Ladakh
region as
well as some paramilitary forces. Most of the troops
had already been acclimatized to the extremities of the glacier
after having been sent on a training expedition to Antarctica
in 1982. Pakistan, meanwhile, felt that the
Indians were planning to capture key
ridges
and
passes near the glacier after the
Indian Army's mountaineering expedition and accordingly decided to
send its own troops to the glacier.
However, according to one retired
Pakistani colonel, Islamabad
ordered Arctic-weather gear
from the same London
suppliers
from whom the Indians sourced their outfits. The Indians
were soon informed about this development and immediately put their
plan into action, providing them the all-important
head start.
On April 13, 1984, the Indian Army made its move onto the glacier
to defend the territory and the peaks and passes around it when it
launched "Operation Meghdoot". The operation was launched under the
command of Lieutenant General P N Hoon, the then army commander of
the Indian Army's Northern Command based at Udhampur in Jammu &
Kashmir state of India. The operation was also based on
intelligence inputs that Pakistan was also preparing for an action
in these areas. Reportedly the operation pre empted Pakistani Army
by about 4 days, as intelligence reported that Pakistan was to
launch an operation on 17 April 1984. Named after the divine cloud
messenger (
Meghaduuta) in a
Sanskrit play, the
operation involved the airlifting of
Indian
Army soldiers by the
Indian Air
Force (IAF) and dropping them in the glacial area. The IAF used
planes such as the
Il-76,
An-12 and
An-32
to transport stores and troops as well to airdrop supplies to high
altitude airfields. Helicopters like
Mi-17,
Mi-8,
Chetak and
Cheetah
carried provisions and personnel to areas near hitherto unscaled
peaks. Approximately 300 troops were soon up on the important peaks
and passes of the glacier.
By the time Pakistan troops managed to get
into the immediate area, they found that the Indian troops had
occupied the major mountain passes on the Saltoro Ridge west of 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 accessible
routes to the area, unlike Indian access to the Siachen which was
largely reliant on air drops.
In
his memoirs, former
Pakistani president, General
Pervez Musharraf states that
Pakistan lost almost of territory.
TIME states
that the Indian advance captured nearly . of territory claimed by
Pakistan. Camps were soon converted to permanent posts by both
countries. The number of casualties on both sides during this
particular operation is not known.
Aftermath
There are divergent views on the strategic value of the Operation.
Some view it as a futile capture of non-strategic land which
antagonized relations with between India & Pakistan. Others
consider the operation to be a "daring" success by the Indian
Military and ensured that the Indian military held tactical high
ground on the strategic
Saltoro Ridge
just west of the glacier, albeit at a high cost.
The Indian Army
currently controls all of the long Siachen Glacier as well as all
of its tributary glaciers as well as the three main passes of the
Saltoro Ridge immediately west of the glacier, Sia La
, Bilafond La
, and Gyong
La
, thus holding onto the tactical advantage of high
ground.. .
The operation and the continued cost of maintaining logistics to
the area is a major drain on both militaries. 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 (later
President of Pakistan) and initially
managed to capture a few high points before being beaten back.
Later the same year, Pakistan lost at least one major Pakistani
post, the "
Quaid", which came under
Indian control as
Bana Post, in
recognition of Subedar Major
Bana Singh
who launched a daring daylight attack, codenamed "Operation Rajiv",
after climbing ice cliff. The only Param Vir Chakra (PVC) — the
highest gallantry award of India — in the ongoing battle was
awarded to then Naib Subedar Bana Singh who was instrumental in
capturing the post. Bana Post is the highest battlefield post in
the world today at a height of above sea level.
[284852][284853] The second assault in 1989 was also
unsuccessful as the ground positions did not change. The loss of
most of the Siachen area and the subsequent unsuccessful military
forays prompted
Benazir Bhutto to
taunt
Zia ul Haq that he should
wear a
burqa as he had lost his
manliness.
Operation Meghdoot was seen by some as the blueprint behind the
Kargil War in 1999 when Pakistan backed
guerillas and paramilitary forces covertly
occupied the Kargil region. It is said that Operation Meghdoot was
the inspiration for this abortive operation in Kargil launched by
Pakistan later in 1999. Despite this, some obvious similarities do
exist between Siachen and Kargil, including their preemptive nature
and the tactical advantage held by the entity who holds the
heights.
But while Operation Meghdoot was launched in
an area of ambiguous border demarcation, the Line of
Control
in the Kargil region
is clearly demarcated and therefore India received
complete international support during the Kargil
episode.
Casualties
India: 1000 dead
Pakistan: 1300 dead
See also
Notes
- (pp. 68-69)
- The Himalayas War at the Top Of the World July
31, 1989 - TIME
-
http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/MONITOR/ISSUE6-1/Siachen.html
-
http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2304/stories/20060310001704400.htm
for a detailed, current map.
- Demilitarisation of Siachin by Air Marshal [R
Ayaz A Khan]
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