The Indian Army has rejected the idea of demilitarizing the Siachen Glacier, saying Pakistan can’t be trusted. The Siachen Glacier is located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas and is considered the world’s highest battlefield.
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This comes after an avalanche hit army positions at the Siachen Glacier Monday, burying eight men under the snow. While two men were rescued, six men — four soldiers and two porters — died due to hypothermia.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh condoled the deaths of army personnel and porters in an avalanche on the Siachen Glacier.”Deeply pained by the demise of soldiers and porters due to avalanche in Siachen. I salute their courage and service to the nation. My heartfelt condolences to their families,” Mr Singh tweeted.
India seized control of the Siachen Glacier in 1984, and since then more soldiers have died from the harsh conditions than in combat. Landslides and avalanches are common in the region during winter, when temperatures can drop to -60C.
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Owning to high death casualties, Pakistan had proposed to demilitarise Siachen a few years which was not accepted. For any possible demilitarisation, both Pakistan and India need to actually authenticate the exact location of posts and the areas held, but Pakistan has not done it,” an Army source told ThePrint.
The source added it would be a massive mistake to withdraw from the heights and give a chance to Pakistan to capture them, just like it did in Kargil. “It would be just impossible to recapture the heights from Pakistan,” he said.
