Siachen Conflict

Siachen Conflict

The Siachen Glacier became a point of contention following a vague demarcation of territory as per the Simla Agreement of 1972 between India and Pakistan, which did not exactly specify who had authority over the Siachen Glacier area. As a result of this, both nations laid claim to the barren land. India was determined to keep the Glacier since its northern mountains divide the Central Asia and the Indian sub-continent. Whoever owned the Glacier controlled the Shyok and Nubra valleys, as well as the region bordering China. India feared that Pakistan's control of the Glacier would endanger the security of Ladakh in particular and the state of Jammu & Kashmir in general. It further believed that China and Pakistan wanted to occupy the Siachen to secure a common border with China that would facilitate a closer military link

The Siachen conflict began in 1984 with India's successful Operation Meghdoot during which it wrestled control of the Siachen Glacier from Pakistan and forced the Pakistanis to retreat west of the Saltoro Ridge. India gained more than 1000 square miles of territory because of its military operations in Siachen. After two decades of conflict, Pakistan announced a ceasefire in November 2003 as part of a border truce with India. With the installation of the Congress-led coalition government in India, both the countries are once again talking to each other on all the contentious issues, including that of the Siachen.