Guarding Siachen

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited Siachen, the highest battlefield in the world and took the first hand assessment of the ground situation. He was accompanied by the top Army Commanders including the Army Chief General Manoj Pande. The Defence Minister conducted the aerial survey and then landed at the forward post situated at the height of 15100 feet. He was apprised about the preparedness of the defence forces. The nation celebrated the 40th anniversary of Operation Meghdoot. The Defence Minister termed the operation as the golden chapter in the military history of India. It was started by the Indian Army on 13th April,1984  in Siachen. Siachen must make the entire nation ponder over the importance of the Siachen in the Northern Frontier of India.It must make the nation internalise the role it plays in the defence of India. We must analyse why Pakistan was after Siachen? In 1960 Pakistan was pursuing the Chinese policy.It not only wanted to connect the northern part of the Aksai Chin but wanted to annex and exploit the 10 crore acres of land  that are home to the freshwater sources near Siachen. Pakistan wanted this for the production of  hydroelectricity  and China  wanted to use this area for being the leader in making the micro chips.For making the silicon wafers China needed  10,000 litres of water that could be mixed with the sand and other chemicals.In these forward areas there are numerous  glaciers that Pakistan has handed over to China. China understands the importance of Siachen for the defence of India. Unfortunately, the earlier political establishment of India never understood its importance for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India.In 1984 the situation changed and Indian policy makers internalised the importance of Siachen due to the recommendations and persuasion of  the former Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General  Chibber. The ambiguity about the Siachen has been created by the maps  of the American Defence Map Agency. It includes the  LOC  near NJ 9842.This is mainly due to the mistaken interpretation of the  signs  and their translation that has created the confusion. It has to do with air defence control. This created a doubt that there is an extension of  LOC from NJ 9842 to Karakoram Pass. Thus developing an interest in Pakistan. There can be many air defence information areas but these cannot be national boundaries. But many prominent atlases committed this error that prompted Pakistan to escalate the error into a dispute. That does not exist at all. During the reign of military dictator , General Zia-ul-Haq Pakistan made many attempts  to annex the Siachen glacier but our armed forces foiled these attempts. Indian Air Force has been in the forefront in the Defence of Siachen. From 1984 to 1987 Indian Armed Forces have fought valiantly to uphold the Siachen Glacier. It is indeed a national achievement that Indian political discourse on Siachen has changed and the Indian political class now realises its importance to uphold the Northern Frontiers. It has to be understood that Siachen helps to keep the enemy at bay in terms of tactical advantage. Any attempt to dilute stand on Siachen will be disastrous and suicidal. It will mean falling into the enemy trap and allowing the penetration into the Himalayas and weakening the Indian defence. India cannot afford to squander the gains in Siachen. Any dilution on the Siachen policy will be akin to the disaster that India faced when it accepted the 1972 Shimla Agreement. India is still bearing the losses due to the Shimla Agreement.