Introduction Before 1984, few people in India or Pakistan had heard about the Siachen Glacier as it was never a fact in issue between the two countries and rarely figured in any security discourse or interaction between the sides. [1] Even three bloody wars between the two neighbours and several mountaineering expeditions in the region had failed to disturb the peace in the area. However, this changed when Pakistan’s formal claim to the entire region—contrary to its admitted position that it was disputed and yet to be demarcated [2] —triggered a pre-emptive Indian reaction on 13 April 1984. On this day, the Indian armed forces launched Operation Meghdoot and moved onto Saltoro Heights, taking effective control of the entire Siachen Glacier region. Notably, Siachen caught the attention of the Indian military planners only around 1978, when details of all the mountaineering expeditions taking place in the region were dug out and analysed. [3] In fact, most of the published work on military activities in the region and Pakistan’s arguments conceived in hindsight to justify its claim over the area emerged only after India took control of the Saltoro Heights in 1984. [4]
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