Context:
The Indian Army recently commemorated 40 years since ‘Operation Meghdoot’ began, securing the Siachen Glacier.
Relevance:
Facts for Prelims
About Operation Meghdoot
Objective:
- Code-name for the Indian Armed Forces operation to capture the Siachen Glacier, a strategically crucial region in Northern Ladakh.
Historical Context:
- Siachen has been a point of contention between India and Pakistan since the Karachi Agreement of 1949.
- The area remained undivided due to the challenging terrain and harsh weather conditions.
Purpose:
- India’s military response to Pakistan’s “cartographic aggression” in Ladakh, north of map reference NJ9842, where the Line of Control (LoC) was previously agreed upon.
Execution:
- Launched on April 13, 1984.
- Unique as the world’s first assault on the highest battlefield.
- Led by Lieutenant General Manohar Lal Chibber, Lieutenant General PN Hoon, and Major General Shiv Sharma.
- India secured strategic heights on Siachen, deploying troops via airlifts and air-dropping supplies to high-altitude airfields.
Achievements:
- Pre-empted the seizure of Sia La and Bilafond La passes by the Pakistan Army.
- Indian troops gained control of the entire Siachen Glacier.
- Distinguished by seamless coordination and synergy between the Indian Army and the Air Force.
Strategic Importance of Siachen:
- Location and Altitude:
- Situated at around 20,000 feet in the Karakoram Mountain range.
- Known as the highest militarised zone globally.
- Strategic Domination:
- Dominates the Shaksgam Valley (ceded to China by Pakistan in 1963) in the north.
- Controls routes from Gilgit Baltistan to Leh from the west.
- Dominates the ancient Karakoram Pass in the east.
- Observes nearly the entire Gilgit Baltistan towards the west, an Indian territory illegally occupied by Pakistan in 1948.
-Source: The Economic Times
