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The futility of fighting over killer glacier
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87
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Visits
87
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Visits
87
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Visits
87
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April 27, 2012
Pakistan and India are engaged in a strategically hollow conflict at Siachen. The Siachen Glacier sits on the Roof of the World, the Great Karakoram Range. Both India and Pakistan hold their positions at a height of over 20,000 feet, resulting in over 8,000 casualties on both sides since 1984. Pakistan was compelled to move its forces to stop Indian aggression. Since then both countries have fought some fierce battles over Siachen Glacier, but without any significant outcome. India’s stubborn attitude has hampered reaching any amicable solution to Siachen conflict.
Siachen is a hell on earth for those who are serving there. On daily basis, many soldiers from both sides get injured due to harsh weather conditions. This article aims to highlight difficulties of the soldiers fighting at such a high altitude, which may help us to understand their miseries and despair.
Mountain warfare is very difficult as compared to other types of warfare. It needs special training and equipment to survive at high altitude. At heights above 10,000 to 15, 000 ft, the physiological and psychological effects of mountain terrain are felt among soldiers. Soldiers at such high altitude must know the preventive measures and must also be trained enough to detect signs of illness; only then they can survive at high altitude.
Living conditions at Siachen Glacier are thorny; sometimes due to bad weather, all movement is suddenly bunged. Correspondence with soldiers at high grounds also faces rupture. They get stuck due to bad weather and it is difficult to move injured or sick men, and also it is impossible to provide logistics or relief to soldiers at high altitude. All these factors lead to dejection and ennui, and dwindles the morale of the soldiers. In reality, Pakistan and Indian forces are not fighting against each other, but fighting against “Siachen Glacier and its weather”. Soldier’s most dangerous adversary is the mountain itself and its weather because most of the casualties have taken place due to harsh weather conditions at Siachen.
It is not just avalanches that kill our soldiers at Siachen, but there are many other factors. Main difficulties of soldiers at an elevation of 20,000 feet are lack of oxygen, frequent avalanches, frostbite, difficulty in logistics, drinking water, snow blizzards, diseases such as pulmonary edema, cerebral edema, sunburn, and loss of vision etc.
Siachen Glacier is world’s most inhospitable place where temperature flits around minus 40 to 50 degree Centigrade. The glacier receives 6-7 meters of the annual total of 10 meters of snow in winter alone. Snowstorms can reach speeds up to 300 km per hour. The snow blizzards are common and make it difficult for the soldiers to roam around. Snow blizzards did not allow the evacuation of sick men from the remote posts. A severe blizzard is considered to have temperatures near or below 10 degrees Fahrenheit, with winds exceeding 45 mph, and visibility reduced by snow to near zero. All these conditions paralyze lives of soldiers.
In addition to that many soldiers deployed at Siachen face High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE). HACE is a condition characterized by the presence of a large amount of water in the brain. If not treated, it can be deadly, or may cause severe brain damage, and the quicker a patient is treated, the better his chances of recovery will be. Treatment for cerebral edema involves relieving the pressure, getting rid of the water and getting to the root cause of the problem to see if recurrence can be prevented. Its symptoms are unconsciousness, perplexity, wooziness, sickness, lack of coordination, or numbness. It is necessary for the commander to routinely inquire his men about their health conditions, if they face such symptoms they must be given proper medical care.
Another disease common among soldiers deployed at Siachen is High-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE). HAPE may result from short-term exposures to altitudes in excess of 2000 m (6560 ft). HAPE is most threatening disease if not treated in time. Acute mountain sickness, retinal hemorrhages, and peripheral edema are the milder forms of the disease. The rate of ascent, the altitude attained, the amount of physical activity at high altitude, and individual susceptibility are contributing factors to the incidence and severity of high-altitude illness. Its symptoms are difficulty in walking or inability to keep up, a tight-feeling chest, congestion, a chesty cough possibly accompanied by blood, extreme fatigue/weakness, gurgling sound whilst breathing, poor judgment, breathlessness during rest, rapid heart rate (90 to 100 bpm at rest), blue/grey lips or fingernails, fever of up to 101.3°, confusion, collapse and coma. If these conditions are perceptible in a patient then he must be shifted to hospital without any further delay.
Frostbite is very common cold injury among soldiers serving at Siachen. Thousands of soldiers lost their limbs because of frostbite at high altitude. It involves any exposed part of the body including hands, feet, nose, and ears. Despite modern equipment, training and adopting preventive measures, there are a significant number of soldiers who suffer from frostbite, which is a matter of great concern for Pakistan. To avoid this deadly infection, soldiers at Siachen should wear appropriate prescribed clothes, properly fitted quality boots, socks and gloves. They must be trained enough to cope challenges at high altitude. They must stay away from soaked clothes, movement in snow blizzards, and also avoid extended exposure to cold wind.
The atmosphere at Siachen also affects vision in several ways. Soldiers deployed at high altitude lose much of their natural night vision above 8,000 feet (2,400 m); retinal hemorrhaging and bleeding from blood vessels in the eyes affects over half of all soldiers at 18,000 feet (5,486 m). The drastic increase in ultraviolet light can cause snow blindness and severe sunburn. The time it takes for wounds to heal increases because of lack of oxygen in body tissues. The effects combine to make the environment a potent adversary. All these difficulties are faced by our brave soldiers at Siachen. The physical and psychological stresses of high altitude degrade all soldiers over time and reduce their efficiency and aptitude.
Siachen glacier is a tough place to live on. Even the most physically fit men exhibit muscular weakness and a loss of neuromuscular control above 14,765 feet (4,500 m). Sickness, infectious diseases and other physiological and psychological problems restrict soldier’s ability to work at high altitudes like Siachen.
Pakistan and Indian Army suffered more casualties due to harsh weather conditions at high altitude than fighting. According to some estimates, on an average, one Pakistani soldier is killed every third day on the Siachen Glacier, showing approximately 100 casualties every year on an average. Similarly, one Indian soldier is killed every other day on the Siachen Glacier, at an annual average of 180 casualties. Therefore, over 95 percent of the casualties at the glacier are because of extremely cold weather and forbidding terrain, while only five percent fall in combat.
According to estimates, Pakistan spends approximately Rs15 million a day to maintain three battalions at the Siachen Glacier, which makes Rs450 million a month and Rs5.4 billion a year. On the other hand, the deployment of seven battalions at the Glacier costs India Rs50 million a day, Rs1.5 billion a month and Rs30 billion a year. India is facing more losses than Pakistan; it is the responsibility of the Indian government to end its stubborn attitude and resolve this matter.
Siachen Glacier has no strategic value for India or Pakistan. According to Dr. Stephen, “the Siachen conflict is a fight between two bald men over a comb. According to him, Siachen “is not militarily important” and the Indian and Pakistani armies “are there for purely psychological reasons, testing each other’s will.” Indian army has to change its attitude and it must realize this fact now that Pakistan is a reality and it will never accept India’s expansionist policy. Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has expressed his desire that this conflict should end and the money spent on Siachen be spent on the welfare of the people of Pakistan and India.
Indian and Pakistani politico-military leadership must sit together, resolve this issue, demilitarize Siachen, and take their forces back to the pre-1984 positions. Few analysts have coined a concept for an international “Science Park” at Siachen Glacier to assess the environmental damages and also to promote the study of Himalayan glaciers.
International community must come forward and extend their support to resolve this outstanding issue. Resolution of Siachen issue would not only save lives of many but also bring stability in south Asia which may lead to the resolution of other important issues between India and Pakistan.
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