Operation Meghdoot - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Operation Meghdoot was the name given to the attack launched by the Indian ... The buildup to Operation Meghdoot by Wing Commander M. Bahadur. v ? d ? e ...
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Siachen Glacier / Operation Meghdoot
GlobalSecurity.org is the leading source for reliable military news and military ... Siachen Glacier / Operation Meghdoot. The Siachen Glacier has no ...
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Talk:Operation Meghdoot - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An entry from Operation Meghdoot appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know? ... seem to suggest that Operation Meghdoot is the most common name, ...
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The Buildup to Operation Meghdoot
... OPERATIONS. THE BUILDUP TO OPERATION MEGHDOOT. Wing Commander M. Bahadur ... Operation Meghdoot was launched on 13 April 1984 when the Indian Army and the ...
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Vayu Sena - The Buildup To Operation Meghdoot - By Wg Cdr M. Bahadhur
Wg Cdr M ... VayuSena. The Buildup To Operation Meghdoot. By Wing Commander M. Bahadur ... operating in the Glacier are the true unsung heroes of Op Meghdoot. ...
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Military History and Fiction
Military History of India ... Op Meghdoot. Operation Meghdoot (Siachen, ... The Indian Army therefore launched Operation Meghdoot to secure the glacier and ...
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The Himalayas War at the Top Of the World - TIME
Fighting at breathtaking altitudes, Indians and Pakistanis are locked in ... the Indian army launched Operation Meghdoot (Cloud Messenger), placing forces at ...
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No.114 Helicopter Unit, Indian Air Force "The Siachen Pioneers" [ Arun ...
This happened many years before the pre-emptive Meghdoot Operation. ... Siachen Glacier Operations: The Buildup to Operation Meghdoot, by Wg Cdr M Bahadur. ...
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Rediff On The NeT: The Rediff Interview/Lt General P N Hoon (retd)
I was the brain behind Operation Meghdoot -- the plan that put the Indian army atop. ... I want a probe into the botched Operation Meghdoot. ...
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Operation Cactus
Art & Culture ? Health ? Movies & Entertainment ? Society ? Reference ? Sports ... Operation Cactus - Operation Pawan - Operation Meghdoot - 1971 Indo-Pak War ...
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{{Infobox Military Conflict|conflict=Operation Meghdoot|partof=the Siachen War range.|date=[April 13, 1984, in a disputed and undemarcated region of [Kashmir|combatant2= [Pakistan launched by the [Indian Military to capture most of the Siachen Glacier, in the disputed Kashmir region, precipating the Siachen Conflict. Launched on April 13, 1984, this military operation was unique as it was the first assault launched in the world's highest battlefield. The military action was quite successful as Indian troops managed to gain two-thirds of the glacier with the rest remaining under Pakistani control.

Cause of conflict The Siachen Glacier became the bone of contention following a vague demarcation of territory as per the Simla Accord of 1972 which did not specifically mention who had authority over the Siachen Glacier. As a result of this, both nations lay claim to the barren land. In the 1970s and early 80s, Pakistan permitted several mountaineering expeditions to climb the peaks on the Siachen. This served to reinforce their claim on the area as these expeditions arrived on the glacier with a permit obtained from the Government of Pakistan. Indian sources claim that in many cases a liaison officer from the Pakistan army accompanied the teams. Since 1978, the Indian Army began closely monitoring the situation on the glacier and concurrently, India too had allowed mountaineering expeditions to the glacier, from its side. The most notable one was the one launched by Colonel N. Kumar of the Indian Army, who mounted an Army expedition to Teram Kangri peaks as a counter-exercise.

When Pakistan gave permission to a Japanese expedition to scale an important peak (Rimo peak) in 1984, it prompted Indians to do something drastic in order to secure the glacier. The peak, located east of Siachen overlooks the eastern areas of the Aksai Chin. The Indian military believed that such an expedition would provide a link for the western and eastern routes — the trade route leading to Karakoram Pass and China — and eventually provide a strategic, if not tactical, advantage to Military of Pakistan.

The operation The Indian Military decided to take action to stop future expeditions from the Pakistani side and eventually to prevent Pakistan from staking its claim on the glacier. Accordingly, the Indian Military brought in the troops from Northern Ladakh as well as some paramilitary forces in order to send them up the glacier. Most of the troops had already been acclamatized to the extremities of the glacier after having sent them on a training expedition to Antarctica in 1982. Pakistan, meanwhile felt that the Indians were planning to capture key ridges and mountain pass on the glacier after the Indian Army's mountaineering expedition and accordingly decided to launch its own troops on the glacier. However, according to one retired Pakistani colonel, Islamabad committed an Military intelligence blunder, ordering Arctic-weather gear from the same London suppliers, from whom the Indians too sourced their outfits. The Indians were soon informed about this development and immediately put their plan into action, providing them the all-important head start over Pakistan.

On April 13, 1984, the Indian Army made its move into the glacier to "defend the territory" and the peaks and passes around it when it launched "Operation Meghdoot". The operation was launched under the command of Lieutenant General P N Hoon, the then army commander of the Indian Army's Northern Command based at Udhampur in Jammu & Kashmir state of India. The operation was also based on intelligence inputs that Pakistan was also preparing for an action in these areas. Thus the operation pre empted Pakistani Army by about 4 days, as they were to launch the operation on 17 April 1984. Named after the divine cloud messenger (Meghaduuta) in a Sanskrit play, the operation involved the airlifting of Indian Army soldiers by the Indian Air Force (IAF) and dropping them in the glacial peaks. The IAF used planes such as the Il-76, Antonov An-12 and Antonov An-32 to transport stores and troops as well to airdrop supplies to high altitude airfields. Helicopters like Mi-8#Mil-17, Mi-8, Chetak and Aerospatiale Lama carried provisions and personnel to hitherto unscaled peaks. A total of 300 odd troops were soon up on the important peaks and passes of the glacier. By the time Pakistan troops managed to get into the glacier, they found that the Indian troops had occupied two of the three mountain passes in the glacier. Handicapped by the altitude and the limited time, Pakistan could only manage to control the only one of the passes and a third of the total glacier. This despite the fact that Pakistan's route to the Glacier were more accessible unlike Indian access to the Siachen, who had to rely on airdropping of its soldiers.

In In the Line of Fire: A Memoir, current President of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf states that Pakistan lost almost 2,331 km² (900 mi²) of territory.(pp. 68-69) TIME states that the Indian advance captured nearly 1,000 sq. mi. of territory claimed by Pakistan. The Himalayas War at the Top Of the World July 31, 1989 - TIME All the peaks and passes in the area were soon made into permanent posts by both countries to maintain a constant vigil. The number of casualties on both sides during this particular operation is not known.

Aftermath The Operation was seen as a "daring" success by the Indian Military at the time and ensured that the Indian military held its tactical high ground on the glacier, albeit at a high cost. Pakistan tried to launch an all out assault in 1987 and later in 1989 to recapture the peaks held by India. The first attempt was headed by Pervez Musharraf (later President of Pakistan) and initially managed to capture a few peaks before being beaten back. Later the same year, Pakistan ended up losing at least one major Pakistani post, the "Quaid-e-Azam", which came under Indian control as Bana Post, in recognition of Bana Singh who launched a daring daylight attack, codenamed "Operation Rajiv". The only Param Vir Chakra (PVC) — the highest gallantry award of India — in the ongoing battle was awarded to then Naib Subedar Bana Singh who was instrumental in capturing the post. Bana post is the highest battlefield post in the world today at a height of 22,143 feet above sea level.

The second attempt, in 1989 too came to nothing as the ground positions did not change. The loss of Siachen and the subsequent unsuccessful military forays prompted Benazir Bhutto to taunt Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq that he should wear a burqa as he had lost his manliness. Demilitarisation of Siachin by Air Marshal R Ayaz A Khan

By some Operation Meghdoot was seen as the blueprint behind the Kargil War in 1999 when Pakistan backed guerillas and paramilitary forces covertly occupied the Kargil region. It is said that Operation Meghdoot was the inspiration for this abortive operation in Kargil launched by Pakistan later in 1999. However it is worth noting that while India did not hesitate in using the full capacity of its airforce and army in support of ground forces deployed in Siachen, Pakistan however refrained from doing so likewise in support of its forces deployed in Kargil. Almost all of whom were, as it is, irregulars and paramilitary. Despite this some obvious similarities do exist between Siachen and Kargil, including the preemptive nature and the tactical advantage to the person who holds the heights. But while Operation Meghdoot was launched on an area that provided scope for some amount of ambiguity, the Line of Control in the Kargil District was clearly marked and therefore India received more international sympathy during the Kargil episode.

Casualties See also

• Operation Safed Sagar
• Jammu and Kashmir
• Northern Areas

Notes References

• Defence India
• Indian Air Force
• Gen. Mehta on Kargil and Siachen - Rediff.com
• Siachen disengagement - Article in Daily Times (Pakistan)
• War at the top of the World - Article in TIME.
• Siachen War

External links

• The buildup to Operation Meghdoot by Wing Commander M. Bahadur