Operation Meghdoot
Operation Meghdoot was the codename for the Indian Armed Forces 1984 operation launched to preempt Pakistan's competing Operation Ababeel to take full control of the Siachen Glacier in Ladakh on the tri-junction of the India–Pakistan-China border in the Himalayas. Even though Pakistan had conceived their Operation Ababeel in 1983, earlier than India, India preempted them in execution by launching Operation Meghdoot on the morning of 13 April 1984, four days earlier than Pakistan had planned to launch Operation Ababeel. Thus, India's Operation Meghdoot succeeded, and Pakistan's Operation Ababeel failed even before it began, resulting in Indian forces gaining control of the entire Siachen Glacier, which is the battlefield with the highest elevation in the world.
Currently, the Indian Army remains the first and only army in the world to have deployed tanks and other heavy ordnance at altitudes well over 5,000 meters. Up to ten infantry battalions each of the Indian Army and Pakistan Army are actively deployed at high altitudes of up to 6,400 meters throughout the region due to the present Siachen conflict.
Background
India-Pakistan conflict and vague demarcation of LOC
In the context of the wider India Pakistan wars and conflicts, the Siachen Glacier became a bone of contention following a vague demarcation of territories in the Karachi Agreement of July 1949 which did not exactly specify who had authority over the Siachen Glacier area. India and Pakistan had demarcated the borders of the disputed area in Ladakh by demarcating the Line of Actual Control which ended at the Point NJ9842 and the area further north of this which lies in Siachen was not demarcated. Indian interpretation was that Pakistan territory extended only to about the Saltoro Ridge, where the territorial line's route after the last demarcated Point NJ9842 was "thence north to the glaciers." Pakistan interpretation was that their territory continued northeast from Point NJ9842 to the Karakoram Pass. As a result, both nations claimed the Siachen Glacier and the alpine heights around the Siachen Glacier.1970s-80s: Pakistani permissions to foreigner's mountaineering expeditions in Siachen
In the 1970s and early 1980s, Pakistan permitted several mountaineering expeditions to climb the peaks in the Siachen region from the Pakistani side, perhaps in an attempt to reinforce their claim on the area as these expeditions received permits obtained from the Government of Pakistan and in many cases a liaison officer from the Pakistan Army accompanied the teams.Notably, when Pakistan gave permission to a Japanese expedition to scale an important peak in 1984, it further fueled the suspicion of the Indian Government of Pakistani attempts to legitimize their claim. The peak, located east of the Siachen Glacier, also overlooks the northwestern areas of the Aksai Chin, an area which is disputed between India, and China. The Indian military believed that such an expedition could further link up the northeastern side to the southwestern side of the Karakoram Range and eventually provide a strategic, if not tactical, advantage to Pakistan.
1978-early 1980s: Indian mountaineering expeditions to Siachen
In 1978, the Indian Army also allowed mountaineering expeditions to the glacier, approaching from its side. The first one launched in 1978 by Colonel Narinder Kumar of the Indian Army, who led an expedition to Teram Kangri, along with medical officer Captain AVS Gupta and S.C Vahie. The Indian Air Force provided valuable logistics support to this expedition and supply of fresh rations. The first air landing on the glacier was carried out on 6 October 1978 when two casualties were evacuated from the Advance Base Camp in a Chetak helicopter by Squadron Leader Monga and Flying Officer Manmohan Bahadur.In 1980, the Commander of 3 Artillery Brigade, Brigadier K N Thadani VSM, led a 68-member Indian Army military expedition to Apsarasas-1 a part of the Apsarasas Kangri sub-range in the Siachen Glacier, Ladakh. On 18 September 1980, 16 members of the Indian Army expedition successfully scaled the summit. Then in 1984, Lieutenant Colonel Prem Chand Snow Tiger, of the Dogra Regiment led a 54-member Indian Army military expedition to K12 on the Saltoro Range in the Siachen Glacier, Ladakh. On 17 October 1984, members of the Indian Army expedition successfully summited the peak.
Race against time: Pakistan's Operation Ababeel vs India's Operation Meghdoot
1983-84: Pakistan's Operation Ababeel
Operation Ababeel, conceived in 1983, was the code-name for a military operation planned by the Pakistani Armed Forces to capture the Siachen Glacier in the disputed Kashmir region, precipitating the Siachen Conflict. The operation aimed to establish Pakistani control over key points on the Siachen Glacier and the Saltoro Ridge, but it was preempted by India’s Operation Meghdoot, resulting in its failure.Conception of Operation Ababeel
The planning phase of Operation Ababeel was finalized by late 1983, with the operation scheduled for early 1984. The Pakistani military intended to launch the operation in May 1984, as the harsh winter conditions of the Siachen Glacier made earlier deployment challenging. The Pakistani forced was code named Burzil Force, comprising Special Services Group commandos and other units, was to be deployed from Skardu with ground-based commando tactics, leveraging Pakistan’s gravel road access to the Saltoro Range for rapid troop movement.The conception of Operation Ababeel began in 1983, when Pakistani military planners, based at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, identified the strategic importance of the Siachen Glacier. Intelligence reports indicated that India was conducting mountaineering expeditions in the region, raising concerns that India might assert control over the undemarcated territory beyond the Line of Control point NJ9842, as per the 1949 Karachi Agreement. After analyzing the Indian Army's mountaineering expeditions, they feared that India might capture key ridges and mountain passes near the glacier, and decided to send their own troops first. Pakistan’s decision to launch Operation Ababeel was driven by the need to preempt Indian control and secure key passes, particularly on the Saltoro Ridge, which overlooks the Siachen Glacier. Pakistani generals, including then-Brigadier Pervez Musharraf, began planning the operation after confirming Indian patrols in the Siachen area. The plan involved the capture of strategic heights on the Saltoro Ridge on the western flank of Siachen Glacier, including passes like Bilafond La and Sia La, at altitudes up to 16,000 ft.