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PrintTwo days after an avalanche buried an Indian Army outpost on the world’s highest battlefield, authorities gave up hope of rescuing any of ten soldiers on duty and declared them dead. An entire ice wall collapsed and fell on the prefabricated outpost building, located at a height of 5,400 metres (19,600 feet) on the upper part of the Siachen glacier.
Read: Indian army declines Pak offer of help to find its soldiers.
Right on the Line of Control (LoC) that effectively divides the parts of Kashmir administered by India and Pakistan, the glacier in the eastern Karakoram range is claimed by both countries. A ceasefire has been holding since November 2003, with Indian troops stationed on the upper part of the glacier and Pakistani troops the lower part.
The Indian Army and the Air Force used rescue personnel, sniffer dogs, ice moving machinery and helicopters in an effort to reach their buried colleagues, but to no avail.
“Specialised teams and equipment are on job since yesterday to trace the missing army personnel. But, so far there is no news about the missing soldiers,” spokesman of the Indian Army’s northern command Colonel S.D. Goswami told thethirdpole.net late on the evening of February 4.
Also read: The madness of Siachen
Goswami refused to speculate on the cause of the avalanche and said, “Such incidents have been happening in the high altitude area.”
Climate change, more avalanches
But a former researcher in the Snow and Avalanche Studies Establishment (SASE) of India’s defence ministry said the frequency of avalanches had been going up steadily since 1984, when Indian troops were first deployed on the Siachen glacier and scientists started studying the area.
Speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the media, the scientist said both minimum and maximum winter temperatures on the glacier were showing steadily upward trends.
“That may sound like very good news to soldiers forced to live and patrol in temperatures that can go down to minus 40 (degrees Celsius). But these upward trends are not uniform; they fluctuate a lot. That cracks the ice and makes an avalanche more likely.”
Read: 'Why are we fighting in Siachen and what for?' asks Anwar Maqsood in new play Siachen
The upward temperature curves are in consonance with global trends due to climate change. Scientists say the average global temperature has risen by 0.8 degrees Celsius in the last 100 years.
Researchers also say some weather stations in the Himalayas show a rise of up to 1.25 degrees Celsius in average temperature over the last hundred years, well above the global mean.
Retreat of glaciers and a higher frequency of avalanches in the Himalayas are among the impacts considered “highly likely” by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in its latest 2014-15 report.
SASE had issued an avalanche warning in the Siachen area on February 2, a day before the ice wall fell. SASE head Ashwagosha Ganju said the warning was low-level, for a snow avalanche. “An ice avalanche is tougher to predict,” he added.
On the Siachen glacier, avalanches and the extreme cold have killed and maimed many more soldiers than active fighting has.
Since April 1984, as many as 869 Indian soldiers have been killed by avalanches, exposure to extreme cold and altitude sickness, according to official records. Pakistan has also lost hundreds of soldiers for the same reason. In 2012, a massive avalanche in lower Siachen killed 130 Pakistani soldiers at one go.
Since then, there has been an ongoing debate in Pakistan on the advisability of stationing soldiers at such a high altitude.
Recently in Pakistan a play based on the conflict, titled “Siachen”, received rave reviews, and spotlighted the problems of soldiers based on the glacier. There is no such debate in India yet.
“Even at the peak of fighting in the 1980s and 1990s, maximum casualties occurred because of medical reasons due to the harsh terrain and climatic conditions,” researcher Sajjad Padder wrote in his paper Siachen Stalemate in the International Journal of Peace and Development Studies.
“On an average, one Pakistani soldier is killed every fourth day, while one Indian soldier is killed every other day. The lack of oxygen at heights between 18,000 and 20,000 feet and prolonged periods of isolation are a lethal combination and take a heavy psychological toll.”
In its 2005 report The Second Freedom — South Asian Challenge 2005 to 2025, the Strategic Foresight Group wrote that conditions on the Siachen glacier may kill around 1,500 soldiers between 2006 and 2010 without a shot being fired.
Questionable positioning
Military experts and peace activists have consistently questioned the strategic and economic significance of the Siachen glacier — saying it does not justify the toll it exacts in men and finances. Stephen Cohen of Brookings Institute described it as “two bald men fighting for a comb”.
Retired Indian Army Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal, writing in the journal of the New Delhi-based Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, said the Siachen glacier and the mountain ranges surrounding it have very little strategic significance.
“Therefore, the continued military occupation of the area by both India and Pakistan is counterproductive and is a retrograde step for pursuing a genuine rapprochement process.”
Kanwal suggested that the area be demilitarised, and “after demilitarisation has been successfully completed, the Siachen DMZ (demilitarised zone) can be declared a ‘science park’. Environmental cleaning will need to be undertaken as a high priority task so that the mess left by 25 years of military occupation can be cleared up.”
Independent observers have placed the cost of maintaining such a heavy army presence in Siachen at Rs1,000-1,200 crore ($148-177 million) a year to the Indian exchequer. Pakistan spends less but it is still a heavy drain on the country’s finances.
— This piece was first published on The Third Pole and has been reproduced with permission.
Comments (68)
$148 billion a year ? + precious lives of the soldiers. Thats madness, nothing else.
Both should realize that its never ending war which has no gain except loss of Jawans. Both are suffering in bitter cold above 20,000 ft even some Pakistani posts are above 20,000ft like Naveed post which is at 22,158 ft. Ask the mother of a soldier whose son died not from bullet but from bitter cold. Please come to mutual withdrawal.
this area require more blood and both country leaders are chess players use soldiers and people for chess game. No worries how much dies, kill and missing in action.
The soldiers die so that others may live in peace. It is the ultimate sacrifice and the nation is indebted to it's Armed Forces for that.
Such a waste of money and precious human lives for next to nothing!
Not killed by the cold, but sacrificed to national egos on both sides of the border. But arms dealers would starve to death if there was peace on earth!
"Two Bald Men fighting for Comb" That is exactly the situation of Pakistan and India on Siachen.
@Amnagi Yes, thats bcoz India is in the control of majority of Siachen Glaciers.The article itself mentions that upper part of Siachen which is the dominant part is in control of Indian Forces.
"Two baldeez on a comb" Says all about the capable hands that both countries are and its people.
both the countries should withdraw it forces from siachen . have peace and stop the arm race in south east Asia, live like two good neighbors , being a Kashmiri resolve the issue peacefully . War is not option for both the countries .
@Rehan - What "ultimate sacrifice"? These soldiers are dying without any fight - out of bitter cold. They should make it no man's land. Peace is far more desirable than state of conflict!
@manav Not like this as the highest post in Siachen is at 22,158 ft which is under Pakistan's control. The point is in few areas India is above and in few areas Pakistan is above. Why Pakistan have less expenditures than India? Because there are countless road passages go to Siachen from Pakistani side but there is no such road passage in Indian side. So Pakistan depends 80% on roads but India depends entirely on Helicopters service. Other thing is number of troops which india has double than Pakistan but Pakistan maintained the number which actually needed there.
@Aw Pakistan is in the lower part of siachen glacier and India in the upper part ofsiachen.Any sane guy with minimum military knowledge knows the advantages.plz research more on the topic in google etc.Thanks
@Amnagi the problem is whoever moves back looses rather than winning
$148-177 billion cannot be true in any world. It has to be million
Killer Siachin ?? no it is a KILLER BORDER
As an Indian I request both govt to demilitrize this wholetter region. Nothing grows there, no road, what's the use that place anyway.
Ounce is on India as it is the one who militarized Sachin back in 80s, Pakistan only responded.
1000-1200 crore rupees is not $148 billion.
The author is probably unaware of the fact that at least from the Pakistani side the service at the Siachin is purely on voluntary basis. The soldiers are aware of the consequences before volunteering for the job.
We should stop it at once ..what a waste of precious life for soldiers of both sides..they are sons of their mothers and fathers...not robots...please stop this nonsense leaving all the enmity aside!!!!!!!!!!
@Taimoor Khan bro 2 wrongs cannot make it right!! we need to pull back and so does the Indian forces...its a joke really !!
@rehan I am sure you wouldn't look at it so casually if it was your family members dying up there. There is no need for these soldiers from both countries to die there. The area needs to be demilitarized to save any further loss of human life as their deaths in freezing temperatures is only symbolic and doesn't achieve anything meaningful or constructive.
best solution is leave the place on across the borders and monitor situation through drone technology and alert squad of air force.
Lot many enthusiast climbers have died while climbing Mount Everest and other summits that doesn't mean new enthusiast don't try again. Deployment in siachen is mostly voluntary and people posted there know the dangers. For Indian security establishment siachen is very important.
@Awais Ali If what you say is true, Naveed post might be the only post where Pak forces are higher than Indian forces. I m not too sure about your claim about Naveed post though.
I didn't know about your other assertion. Access to Siachen bases from Pak side is through pliable roads while its mostly chopper ferrying from India. You may be right there....
Heartening to see majority of people on both sides on this forum want both Ind & Pak to withdraw their troops, hope some sanity prevails in govt & military establishment of these countries so that further loss of precious lives could be avoid, i guess Pak former army chief Gen. Kiyani had given a proposal for withdrawal which was rejected by his counterpart, this was after 130 Pak soldiers had died after a similar incident.
Meanwhile, news just in, Indian Army has found one body 4 days after the avalanche !!
Valour and stupidity are two different traits ...... Losing gallant men on both sides in a war where 1,500 of them have died without firing a bullet ..... What a shame and a waste of brave soldiers !!!!! Who have died for their countries but fighting the hrash weather elements and not the enemy !!!!
Siachin was occupied by India in winter as Pakistanis descended from their summer positions. India should swallow some pride and vacate Pakistani territory to end this misery
Indo-Pak, both of these countries have to solve the issue of Kashmir as soon as possible, till now we both nations have lost hundreds of thousands lives & what the leaders on both side waiting for ! A Nuclear Holocaust ... Enough is enough, the major concern for both of countries are poverty, power crises & one of important thing we are facing Global warming ! nothing we get from wars ... Indo-Pak must get Rid-off that & India have to stop Brutality In Kashmir & India have to Evacuate its 8 hundred Thousand troops from Kashmir & give freedom of right to Kashmir's people according to UN resolutions !
@atif we have already offered to demilitarised siachin after giyari incident. We were mocked by India then.
how people live in Siberia,Alska, Iceland, Arctic etc.
It is not at all difficult to withdraw troops. All that Pakistan has to agree to is to delineate the Actual Ground Position Line on maps which are then signed and exchanged.
Being an Indian, I echo same sentiments of the author. Life cannot be put in danger's path. One country alone cannot decide on this. But to save human lives both countries should include this in their discussions and pull back to save life.
My salutations and high regards for my brothers who sacrifice their comfort and stand on this glacier peak so that my family and the rest of Pakistanis can sleep in peace. I wish there was a way we could repay these people and their families for this noble cause
@Author :"Independent observers have placed the cost of maintaining such a heavy army presence in Siachen at Rs1,000-1,200 crore ($148-177 billion) a year to the Indian exchequer."
At US$ 1 = IR 68, 1,200 Crore equates to US$ 177 MILLION!
insane. Why can't India and Pakistan declare joint ownership of that piece of stay away from Siachin for next 100 years?
Conflict between India and Pakistan is plain stupid. Modi and Nawaz have what it takes to end all hostilities and join hands for the socio-economic development of their people for a brighter future. Both must take bold steps to change the course of history and fulfill the dreams of the people of the subcontinent.
@Udaya Bose
Absolutely true - Once delineation on ground is done, both troops can withdraw, so nobody can do mischief later on - Uzma
While I agree Siachen needs to demilitarized provided Pakistan can guarantee no infiltration of terrorists
But the $148 Billion figure is ridiculous. That is not even India's total defense spending per year.
India invaded Siachen, part of Pakistan, in 1984 with the aim of choking the Pakistan-China land rute. Pakistan must NEVER give an inch of this territory as our future economy (CPEC) and link to China is in gamble. We MUST protect our country at any cost. One dead Pakistani every 4th day is worth it. Infact, we are willing to pay much more then that.
Pakistan and India must come down to senses and reconcile. Solve the Siachen problem at first and demilitarize the area. Pakistan and India will gain a lot by developing friendly relations. SAARC would become a viable economic bloc which would bring prosperity to all countries in the region.
Has any one asked the usual perpetrator of violating agreements, being deceitful and devious as to why India moved soldiers into peaceful uninhabited siachen, in 1984 without provocation and in peace time.
India and Pakistan, please grow up. Siachen or any other front, please stop fighting like school children, and resolve your issues peacefully like two mature grown ups.
We want to know what these non commissioned jawans get besides the monuments our generals salute twice a year on the visit of a foreign official? These myrtys blood only brings prosperity to the private states like DHA's
@rehan Pointless and silly and very very expensive !!! try remaining in a cold store at approximately 0 Centigrade let alone -20 centigrade and below.Those wasted resources represent the enormous hardship of the dispossessed of India and Pakistan and the folly of the ruling classes of both sides.
@Pune-India It is people(the rulers and politicians) who send other people there to die.
@Khwarezmi Rather than being jingoistic and stating that "a soldier dying every four days is worth it"...put a hand on your heart and think whether you would repeat the same thing if your son was in the army with a possibility of being posted on Siachen.
@manav Yes.. Any sane guy with minimal military knowledge knows what is going to happen when you start to climb down - unless you want to spend your whole life up there. Arguments can go on and on but please stop looking at things from your jingoistic standpoint. That was not the point of this article
North Indian Civil War in its 69th year.
Stupidity at its peak!!!!!
"Independent observers have placed the cost of maintaining such a heavy army presence in Siachen at Rs1,000-1,200 crore ($148-177 billion) a year to the Indian exchequer. "
Conversion to dollars is wrong. Instead of $148 - 177 billions it should be $148 - 177 millions. A price tag of $148 - 177 million is reasonable given that India's military budget is upward of $40 billion.
Is the terrain of Siachin more hostile than that of the moon ? From where a few people have returned alive, and in good spirits, half a century ago, or the Pakistani and Indian technology is even farther behind, the American technology of the last century ?
The presence of troops means, the wages for politicians on both sides. Both countries are mad because its the ego maintenance too. Its a new name for SNOW SUICIDERS GAME. the public are the spectators and soldiers are paying the costs and the politicians are the funders. This war will NEVER end. The end of siachin war means...death of PAKISTANI and INDIAN POLITICS.
Long live the brave Pakistani soldiers.
Not just Siacheen, the whole animosity between India and Pakistan is stupid and must be stopped.
Sad.
Contradictory statement : On one side , dawn has stated figure "Since April 1984, as many as 869 Indian soldiers have died" and on other hand lower down the article it claims that one Indian solider is killed every other day.
Which one is true? Please report facts not assumption.
I think understand why Heavily Armed Robots can be introduced at these heights. Same thing at the Borders. Robots can take decisions on their own and kill if there
s any insurgents get naughty and try to cross the borders. I think both countries should introduce Robots and Robotic gun stations equipped with Lasers for detection border movements. Yes, theres a possibility that civilians who cross border could get killed but the cost of terrorists and human guards are far higher.@Udaya Bose Pakistan refused to agree to sign the maps of troops current position before withdrawal of troops.Double standards,might be they want to occupy indian part as well like they did in Kargil misadventure in 1998.
Pakistan refused to agree to sign the maps of troops current position before withdrawal of troops.Double standards,might be they want to occupy Indian part as well like they did in Kargil misadventure in 1998. India just asking for assurance that Pakistan commit in words and by signing the official documents before removing armies.Are Indian's asking too much? Answer is "NO". Otherwise like Shimla agreement, they will try to interpret it differently with time.
What a terrifying and freezing environment. India rolled the gambit in 1984 when it took over Siachen and Pak Army retaliated. India should sensibly should sign a withdrawal accord. Anyway, the expression used by Stephen Cohen perfectly describes the situation, "two bald men fighting over a comb." Salams
Miracle has happened. So for One soldier found alive. Let us hope some more come alive
"...claimed by both countries" (???) What a highly misleading and apologetic statement appearing in our own Pakistani newspaper!! According to all modern cartographic evidence, this glacier clearly falls under Pakistani territory and India invaded in the early 80's, which lead to this conflict.
Latest news coming is that one Indian soldier has been found alive after being buried for 6 days.
Please forget Kashmir issue for 10 years and hen pick it up again until then it should be statuesque. Save human lives these are also children of somebody and fathers of somebody!
@Amnagi its $148 million not billion.