WAR ABOVE THE

CLOUDS:
SIACHEN GLACIER

PRESENTORS
MAHA

BUTT

IZZAT

TARIQ KHAN

MADIHA

KHALID

AGENDA:
INTRODUCTION
HISTORY

OF THE CONFLICT
STRATEGIC SIGNIFICANCE
PRESENT SITUATION
SOLUTION
CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION
Siachen:

place of wild roses.

Located

in eastern Karakoram range in

Himalaya mountains.

coordinates:
Northeast

35.421226N 77.109540E

to point NJ9842

 Length:
Area:

700km2

Largest
2nd

76km

in karakoram range

longest in worlds non-polar areas

Lies

between Saltoro ridge and

Karakorum range.

Main

passes on this ridge (N S)

Sia La
Bilafond La
Gyong La

 Average

winter snowfall: 1000cm

Temperature:
Home

can dip to 50C (58F)

to rare species:

snow leopard

brown bear

ibex

CONFLICT
Simla
Both

agreement 1972

countries claim sovereignty over

barren hights

ZONE OF CONFLICT
The

battle zone comprised an inverted

triangle resting on NJ 9842 with Indira Col
and the Karakoram pass as the other two
extremities

HISTORY OF CONFLICT
1949

Cease-Fire Line Agreement (CFL) signed

by both countries

1957-1976

international expeditions

sought Pakistani authorization to visit Siachen's

nearby mountain peaks
1967

Siachen Glacier clearly inside Pakistan

 Indian

gov protested against cartography

Prior to 1984 neither India nor Pakistan

had any permanent presence in the area

OPERATION MEGHDOOT
Code-name

for the Indian Armed Forces

operation to capture the Siachen Glacier

precipitated
Launched

the Siachen Conflict

on 13 April 1984

 Indian

interpretation was that Pakistan

territory extended only to about the Saltoro
Ridge.

Pakistan

interpretation was that their territory

continued northeast from Point NJ9842 to the
Karakoram Pass.

Both

nations claimed the barren heights.

PAKISTAN MAJOR
ASSAULTS
1987:

headed by Brig Gen Pervaiz Mussharaf

managed

to capture a few high points

before being pushed back

1989:
Unsuccessful
Ground

positions remained same

WHICH REGION SIACHEN

BELONGS
All

the international climbing and mountaineering

expedition teams to climb K2 and other
mountains,including Siachen always got their NoCs
from the Pakistani governments.

Siachen

has been shown as part of Pakistan in many of

international world atlases like UN Defense Mapping
Agency (DMA), Historical Atlas of South Asia by
Chicago University, Britannica Atlas, National
Geographic Society of World Atlas and Times World
Atlas.

STRATEGIC
SIGNIFICANCE OF
SIACHEN GLACIER

 The

Siachen glacier is considered to be the

largest single source of fresh water as it is the
source of the Nubra River that eventually
feeds the mighty Indus.

The

Karakoram highway between China and

Pakistan is very close to Siachen which
enhances its strategic value.

Current

northern areas of

Pakistan and K-2.

INDIAS

CLAIM:

Indias

stance is that the LoC runs from point NJ

9842 along the watersheds formed by the Saltoro
ridge that puts the entire Siachen glacier within
Indian territory.
PAKISTANS
Pakistan

CLAIM:

claims that the line joins point NJ 9842

with the Karakoram pass that lies towards the
northeast, putting Siachen within its territory.

PRESENT SITUATION
OF THE CONFLICT

 The

Indian Army controls a few of the topmost heights, holding on to the tactical
advantage of high ground, while the
Pakistani forces are controlling Baltoro and
other glaciers and valleys in immediate
West to Saltoro ridgeline.

Presently India holds entire 75 KM of

Siachen glacier and commands two of the
three passes including the highest
motorable pass Khardungla Pass

 Pakistan

controls Gyong La pass that

overlooks the Shyok and Nubra river Valley
and India`s access to Leh district.

Logistically,

Pakistan Army holds the

advantage since its road-head is only 20 KM
away from the farthest post while Siachen is
a logistical nightmare for the Indian troops
who are stationed about 80 km away from
the road-head and their supplies have to be
maintained entirely by air.

SOLUTIONS
STEPS TOWARDS
RESOLVING THE ISSUE

INDIAS

POSITION ON
RESOLVING THE ISSUE

1. India wants Pakistan to 'verifies the map' and

remained insistent on accepting ' Actual Ground
Position Line' (AGPL) that began from NJ 9842 and
ended in the current Indian possessions on Soltaro
Range.
2. The Indian position is that both nations should jointly
demarcate the current troop positions in the region.

PAKISTANS POSITION ON
RESOLVING THE ISSUE
1. Pakistan maintained its earlier proposal to
demilitarise the region.
2. . Pakistan agrees that the issue should be
resolved with talks but is strongly against a
demarcation of troop positions.

STEPS TOWARDS RESOLVING

THE ISSUE
A

year after India took over the glacier in 1984,

talks started. After 13 rounds, both sides are now
in agreement that the Siachen glacier should be
demilitarized as it is very tough to maintain army
over there.

Efforts to de-militarize the Glacier in 1989 and in

1992 were set-aside after long rounds of Indo-Pak
negotiation. Politicians were Rajiv Gandhi and
Benazir Bhutto

SUGGESTIONS
A

number of suggestions have been made on how

the problem can be resolved, including
1. Declaring the area a peace park,our last hope.
2. Joint patrolling of the region
3. International peacekeeping force being
deployed in the region.

CONCLUSION

 Sending

men and material in such an area is

a very expensive affair.

On

an average India spends about Rs. 4

crore per day for maintaining troops in this
hostile area. Pakistan also spends about Rs.
1 crore for the same purpose.

Even in normal circumstances, Indian

troops suffer one casualty every second
day while Pakistani troops suffer one
casualty every fourth day.

 Besides

there are psychological disorders,

frostbite, high altitude pulmonary and
cerebral edema and snow blindness.

The

tragic incident of 7th April avalanche

that hit the HQ of 6NLI battalion of
Pakistan Army in Gyari sector of Siachen
trapping 139 Pakistani troops and civilians
that has traumatized the entire nation.

Meanwhile,

up above the clouds, in the

icy glacier and peaks, the soldiers
continue to suffer and die, if not from
bullets then from nature, occasionally
looking down in the valley where
politicians of South Asia find it hard to
give peace a chance.

THANKYOU