Operation Meghdoot
| Operation Meghdoot | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Siachen Conflict | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 India
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 Pakistan
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Lt. Gen. Prem Nath Hoon Lt. Col. D. K. Khanna |
LGen Zahid Ali Akbar BGen Pervez Musharraf |
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| Strength | |||||||||
| 3,000+ | 3,000 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 36 | 200+ | ||||||||
Operation Meghdoot (Sanskrit: ऑपरेशन मेघदूत Ŏparēśan Meghadūta, lit. "Operation Cloud Messenger") was the code-name for the Indian Armed Forces operation to capture the Siachen Glacier in the Jammu and Kashmir State of India, precipitating the Siachen Conflict. Launched on 13 April 1984, this military operation was unique as the first assault launched in the world's highest battlefield. The military action resulted in Indian troops gaining control of the entire Siachen Glacier.
Today, the Indian Army deployment to forward positions along what is known as the Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) is also sometimes inaccurately referred to as Operation Meghdoot. Up to ten infantry battalions each of the Indian Army and Pakistani Army are actively deployed in altitudes up to 6,400 metres (21,000 ft).
The Siachen Glacier became a bone of contention following a vague demarcation of territories in the Karachi Agreement of July 1949 which did not exactly specify who had authority over the Siachen Glacier area. Indian interpretation was that Pakistan territory extended only to about the Saltoro Ridge based on the Simla agreement where the territorial line's route after the last demarcated Point NJ9842 was "thence north to the glaciers." Pakistan interpretation was that their territory continued northeast from Point NJ9842 to the Karakoram Pass. As a result, both nations claimed the barren heights and the Siachen Glacier. In the 1970s and early 1980s, Pakistan permitted several mountaineering expeditions to climb the peaks in the Siachen region from the Pakistani side, perhaps in an attempt to reinforce their claim on the area as these expeditions received permits obtained from the Government of Pakistan and in many cases a liaison officer from the Pakistan army accompanied the teams. In 1978, the Indian Army also allowed mountaineering expeditions to the glacier, approaching from its side. The most notable one was the one launched by Colonel Narinder "Bull" Kumar of the Indian Army, who led an expedition to Teram Kangri, along with medical officer Captain A.V.S. Gupta. The Indian Air Force provided valuable support to this expedition in 1978 through logistic support and supply of fresh rations. The first air landing on the glacier was carried out on 6 October 1978 when two casualties were evacuated from the Advance Base Camp in a Chetak helicopter by Sqn Ldr Monga and Flying Officer Manmohan Bahadur. Contention over the glacier was aggravated by these expeditions, through both sides asserting their claims.
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Wikipedia