The Indian Army has released a video commemorating the 40th anniversary of Operation Meghdoot, which took place in the challenging terrain of the Siachen Glacier in Ladakh, known as the world's highest battlefield.
Watch:
On 13 April 1984, the Indian Army initiated Operation Meghdoot under the leadership of Lieutenant General Manohar Lal Chibber, Lieutenant General PN Hoon, and Major General Shiv Sharma. The operation's main aim was to prevent the Pakistan Army from capturing the strategically significant Sia La and Bilafond La passes. Bilafond La had traditionally served as a passageway from the west. Along the Saltoro Ridge, from north to south, there were four crucial passes: Sia La, Bilafond La, Gyong La, and Chulung La.
The root cause of the Siachen dispute can be traced back to the Karachi Agreement of 1949. In this agreement, representatives from both India and Pakistan delineated the 'Ceasefire Line' across maps of Jammu and Kashmir, extending from Manawar in the south to Khor in the north, and from there 'North to the Glaciers,' passing through NJ 9842.
Following the 1971 War, during talks between India and Pakistan at Suchetgarh to demarcate the Line of Control, the line running north of NJ 9842 was the point mentioned. It was presumably agreed upon that neither side would contest an area where not even a blade of grass grows and where breathing itself becomes a challenge, thus ending the discussion at grid Point NJ 9842.