Siachen News & Discussion

[Lalmohan]

this is a good article, but was posted before on BRF.

again the paks claim that siachen is not strategic, ok, fine - then you give up and go home and everyone is happy, na?

[ksmahesh]

Says Rifaat Hussain, who teaches political science at Islamabad's National Defence College: "It's totally insane to be fighting a war at these altitudes."

Bloody pukis! Now since they have lost all battles in Siachen it is insane to fight there. Well the only sane war for these pukis is when they are winning.

[sunilUpa]

Well the only sane war for these pukis is when they are winning.

Now when did that happen, ever?

[ksmahesh]

Never with India/any other nation. But say fighting Baloch civilians, or massacring Bengali populations etc.....

[ksmahesh]

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/218127.html

This news is false as the trekhas already started. Sorry. Hence forth I shall not be too harsh in pre-event assessment.

[Lalmohan]

relax dude, TOI reporting that its back on and leaving on schedule

[SSridhar]

Siachen trekking happening since 2006
[quote]Pakistan’s opposition to opening the Siachen Glacier to civilian mountaineers and trekkers came three months after expeditions from the United States, France and Australia scaled the icy heights in July 2006, Indian Defence Minister AK Antony told reporters on Wednesday.

The defence minister wondered why Pakistan only voiced its concerns about the glacier after Indian media reported on the expedition of an all-Indian team.

Antony’s disclosures about previous foreign expeditions climbing the glacier through India are bound to rattle Islamabad. Most embarrassed could be Pakistani intelligence agencies, which failed to report on such missions to its government, which lodged a protest only after news of the expedition appeared in Indian media.

The defence minister, speaking on the sidelines of a coast guard commanders meeting, also told reporters that the icy heights had been opened to international expedition teams as part of a strategy to send clear signals that the glacier was “non-negotiableâ€

[Paul]

WTF are foreign expeditions being given preference over Indian expeditions?

[Rudranath]

WTF are foreign expeditions being given preference over Indian expeditions?

No.

The purpose of the foreign expeditions was to show that the Siachen is part of India's territory and not under the control of pakistan which the latter tells it's domestic audience and the western ambassadors posted in pakistan.

By making the western world aware of the ground reality India has made a master move by punching holes in paki propaganda that India is stalling movement on the Siachen issue by asking the paki government to sign the map which shows the actual ground positions of both the countries in Siachen.

Now pakistan has to either sign the maps which show the actual positions or stop its anti-india propaganda on Siachen issue. If it continues the propaganda then the world will accuse that pakistan is telling lies and it is the one which is stalling the resolution of the Siachen issue.

The civilian expeditions are nothing but an oppurtunity to keep the Siachen issue hot in the media and when the paki chief spitter(tasneem aslam) spits venom the spit will land on pakistan onlee.

[Paul]

[quote]42 Siachen trekkers reach Leh

New Delhi, September 19
Pakistani protests notwithstanding, India has gone ahead with its plan to open the disputed Siachen glacier for tourism and expeditions as it dispatched the first batch of 42 trekkers from here by a special Indian Air Force aircraft today.

The Defence Ministry had cleared the 22-day trek to Siachen, considered the world's highest battleground, even though the Pakistan Foreign Office had protested against the plan.

Officials here said the trekking group had reached Leh, the headquarters of the Ladakh district in northern Jammu and Kashmir, to begin preparations for the arduous trek.

According to Defence Ministry spokesman Sitanshu Kar, there was no move to call off the trek “as we consider it a routine mountaineering activityâ€

[Raven]

WTF are foreign expeditions being given preference over Indian expeditions?

No.

The purpose of the foreign expeditions was to show that the Siachen is part of India's territory and not under the control of pakistan which the latter tells it's domestic audience and the western ambassadors posted in pakistan.

By making the western world aware of the ground reality India has made a master move by punching holes in paki propaganda that India is stalling movement on the Siachen issue by asking the paki government to sign the map which shows the actual ground positions of both the countries in Siachen.

Now pakistan has to either sign the maps which show the actual positions or stop its anti-india propaganda on Siachen issue. If it continues the propaganda then the world will accuse that pakistan is telling lies and it is the one which is stalling the resolution of the Siachen issue.

The civilian expeditions are nothing but an oppurtunity to keep the Siachen issue hot in the media and when the paki chief spitter(tasneem aslam) spits venom the spit will land on pakistan onlee.

Right said...it does not take much to make the foolish look idiotic...and the pukis are looking idiotic now.

[Schär]

Never with India/any other nation. But say fighting Baloch civilians, or massacring Bengali populations etc.....

Balochis want the gas ..for what ?

you know ?

no!


They cooperate with the Taliban and other Militants from Afghan Border...what they want is a "free Taliban State with much GAS" recuse.

[Nayak]

Siachen soldiers get jackets, sleeping bags and woolen socks three years after demanding them

[quote]
New Delhi: It’s not the Pakistanis but the Indian army that has aggravated the suffering of the troops on the world’s highest, coldest and most unforgiving battlefield. Soldiers deployed on the Siachen glacier are facing extreme hardships because of the army’s ineptitude and repeated failures to provide them with special clothing and equipment to endure nature’s fury at killer heights of over 21,000 feet.

After scrutinising recent contracts worth around Rs 49 crore, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has hammered the army for gaping deficiencies in the procurement of jackets, trousers, sleeping bags, multi-purpose boots and woolen socks. In some cases, troops got special items almost three years after a demand was made.

The CAG said in a report tabled in Parliament, “Problems related to procurement of special clothing in respect of poor quality and insufficient availability persists…though army has been making procurements for over two decades. No satisfactory solution has emerged to mitigate the suffering...â€

[Baljeet]

Bloody pukis! Now since they have lost all battles in Siachen it is insane to fight there. Well the only sane war for these pukis is when they are winning.

Mahesh
Which wars are they winning or have won..? A Rehtorical Question!

[putnanja]

At Siachen, casualties come to all time low

At Siachen, casualties come to all time low
Manu Pubby
Posted: Oct 11, 2008 at 0112 hrs IST

Siachen Base Camp, October 10 It is a sad day at the Siachen base camp. A soldier died at the Kaziranga post on the glacier two days ago and his body has still not been brought down due to bad weather and heavy snowfall. A Cheetah helicopter has been flying daily from base camp to the post, but has not been able to land and pick up the body.

Despite a rigorous selection procedure and extensive medical examinations before the posting, the soldier suffered a heart attack. Another one, doctors say, of the unpredictables while serving at extreme altitudes.

While days like these bring out the cost India is paying for maintaining troops at the highest battlefield in the world, casualty rates at the Siachen glacier have come down to an all time low.

Casualties peaked to almost 70 per year during the 1999 Kargil war, but the rate has come down to single digit in the past two years. New equipment, better medical facilities, faster evacuations and the ceasefire agreement has brought down fatality rates in the glacier to about four a year.

Till 2003, before the ceasefire agreement came into place, the Army was losing close to 30 soldiers on the glacier every year. The figure went down to 10 a year after the agreement. However, heavy snowfall and the 2006 earthquake raised the casualties to 26 that year.

The past two years have, however, been stable. The Army lost four men on the glacier in 2007 — two cases of medical complications and two pilots who died in a helicopter crash on the LoC. This year, four soldiers have died on the glacier, again mainly due to medical complications.

The main reason, officers say, is the good quality of clothing and special equipment procured in recent years to equip men on the glacier. Most of the clothing — jackets, gloves, sleeping bags — has improved over the past two years and is being imported from Italy, France and Austria.

“We now have better medical facilities and equipment. Any case that looks bad is evacuated immediately. We don’t need to take any chances on the glacier anymore,” a medical officer says.

To get to the world’s highest battlefield, soldiers take a leap of faith with OP Baba

To get to the world’s highest battlefield, soldiers take a leap of faith with OP Baba
Manu Pubby Posted: Oct 11, 2008 at 0113 hrs IST

Siachen Base Camp, October 10 What does it take to serve on the world’s highest battlefield? An incredible amount of courage, a tough round of training and a dash of belief. For soldiers of the Indian Army, the long climb to posts on the Siachen glacier starts with a prayer and formal report to the guardian angel of the ‘frozen frontier’ — the legendary OP Baba.

While no one is quiet sure how and when it started, all inductions of troops on Siachen are carried out only after a stopover at a shrine dedicated to OP Baba — an unknown soldier who, as legend goes, died while fighting the enemy in the 1980s but comes back to warn troops posted on the glacier about impending dangers.

So strong is the conviction among soldiers about the ‘power’ of the Baba that no one even dares to step on the glacier without paying obedience at the shrine and seeking formal permission for the climb. The belief is that the Baba will protect them from the hazards of nature and enemy action on the glacier.

The legend originated at the high altitude Malaun post on the northern glacier where, it is said, a soldier named OP Prakash died while single-handedly fighting Pakistani troops after his colleagues were temporarily called back to the rear.

A shrine was constructed at the post after, the legend says, he started appearing in the dreams of other soldiers and warned them of impending dangers. As word about the ‘powers’ spread among soldiers on the glacier, similar shrines popped up at posts across the glacier. Taking note of the belief among soldiers, higher authorities constructed a permanent shrine to the Baba at the Siachen base camp in 2003.

“It is a firm belief that OP Baba is the guardian deity who protects them not only from the depredations of nature on the glacier but also from the enemy by forewarning them of impending dangers by appearing in their dreams,” an official plaque put up at the shrine by the Army reads.

For soldiers preparing to walk up the glacier, a visit to the shrine provides the extra bit of faith required to spend three months at the world’s coldest battlefield. “We report to the Baba before going up the post. If the Baba knows that something bad will happen to a soldier on the glacier, he will come in the dreams of the commanding officer and ask him to call the soldier back,” says a soldier who is ‘roping up’ for the 12 day walk to his post on the Saltoro ridge.

While a high protein diet is recommended by doctors on the glacier and at high altitudes, no soldier posted at Siachen consumes non-vegetarian food, due to the ‘presence’ of OP Baba. “No non-vegetarian food, tobacco products or alcohol crosses the OP Baba shrine at the base camp,” says an Army officer....

[sum]

Siachen Base Camp, October 10 It is a sad day at the Siachen base camp. A soldier died at the Kaziranga post on the glacier two days ago and his body has still not been brought down due to bad weather and heavy snowfall.

Wonder why siachen deaths are never reported in the papers?

The main reason, officers say, is the good quality of clothing and special equipment procured in recent years to equip men on the glacier. Most of the clothing — jackets, gloves, sleeping bags — has improved over the past two years and is being imported from Italy, France and Austria.

I was under the impression that we had indigenised most of these?? If not, we should be putting max efforts to do so since these are very expensive and will account for lots of savings if indigenous...

[RayC]

Pakistan would not be a worry for some time.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081012/j ... 957208.jsp

[Raja Bose]

Pakistan would not be a worry for some time.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081012/j ... 957208.jsp

Usually I always see that when the going gets tough, the pakis go nuts. Since their notion of an answer to almost any problem in their country is to either shout 'Kashmir' loudly or attack India (or both)....might expect some uniquely 'Paki solution' to this financial crisis. Hence, enough cause for worry I would say!

[RayC]

To organise an insurgency or a war, one requires money!

Maybe the Bedous will chip in. They are flush with oil money!

[malushahi]

Maybe the Bedous will chip in. They are flush with oil money!

Not any more - it was $3.09 for regular this evening

[Raja Bose]

crafty bedous have their fingers in many amirkhan pies...not just oil. anyhow OT post so I will not say anymore!

[malushahi]

crafty bedous have their fingers in many amirkhan pies...not just oil. anyhow OT post so I will not say anymore!

Not to hog bandwidth here. Let's continue discussion @ http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewto ... 2&start=80

[Arun_S]

Another shaheed from my fraternity. A 'Sapoot' from my school (Kendriya Vidayala) in Secunderabad who gave 'balidaan' for Bharat recently:
Received by email:

Sent: Sunday, 7 September, 2008 16:20:32
Subject: Remembering Late Major Sunil Ganapathy

• Major Sunil Ganapathy, Indian Army (KV Picket, 12th 1994) is no more. He was killed in a tragic Cheetha helicopter accident (Aug 15) involving a rescue operation near Ladakh. Another brave soldier and another Picketian has made the supreme sacrifice.
  
  Fellow KV Picketians have published Sunils remembrance in both the Times Of India and The Hindu today (sunday 7.9.2008)highlighting the his sacrifice.
  
  We have attached the clip below. For any further information, please contact Maheep Thapar at < xxx-@yahoo.com>,
  
  The information as reported by rediff website is given below.
  http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/aug/16crash.htm
  
  Regards,
  Picketian

2 army majors, soldier killed in chopper crash

August 16, 2008 16:58 IST
Two army majors and a soldier were killed when an Army helicopter on a rescue mission crashed in eastern Ladakh due to bad weather, a Defence spokesman said in Jammu on Saturday.

Lt Col S D Goswami said the helicopter with two pilots -- Major Padmanabhan and Major S Ganapathy of the Army Aviation Squadron at Leh -- had taken off on Friday to evacuate an injured jawan.

The helicopter lost contact with the air traffic control while returning to Leh in bad weather. The wreckage was found near a mountain pass in the eastern Ladakh.

Both the pilots and jawan, E Narsaih, who was being evacuated, were killed. The army has ordered a court of inquiry.

The temperatures in Ladakh range from minus three degrees to 30 degrees Celcius in summer and minus 20 to 15 degrees Celcius in the winter.

And my condolence response to the Alumni:

Dear All,
I am truly saddened to hear of loss of fellow Picketian Major Sunil Ganapathy in a helicopter crash near Leh while rescuing an army jawan.

And I would refrain/discourage to refer to the crash as a mere accident, because flying the Cheetha helicopter in Ladhak on a clear day is big challenge, much less flying in difficult weather conditions.

I say that because few years ago my brother Wg Cdr xxxx (also a Picketian of xxxx batch) was the CO of the IAF 114-HU (the Pioneers) at Leh with one if his its detachment permanently located on footsteps of Siachen. I visited Leh and experienced first hand the formidable environment flying at Leh and Siachen. And during the trip had the fortune of meeting two IAF pilots who crashed in Siachen during the 3rd day of my stay at Leh, but survived to come back in the evening to celebrate their second birth in the officers mess.

6 months later Wg Cdr xxxx's own Cheetha helicoptor crashed at Siachen due to clear weather air turbulence. He survived to tell the tale, and continue to command the IAF 114-HU.

My heart comes to mouth to think of pilots who courageously and consciously fly into danger everyday, crash, but do not survive to come back home to celebrate second birthday like Major Sunil Ganapathy of Army Aviation Corp.

Veer sapoot Major Sunil Ganapathy ko mera salute.

And my kar-baddha (folded hand) abhinandan to the parents and family of Major Sunil Ganapathy.

Jai Bharat.

-Arun S
Picketian of xxxx batch

[sum]

Dammit...
Even im a alumini of KV,Picket..Great to know that this school produced such a hero!!!!

[vsudhir]

Dammit...
Even im a alumini of KV,Picket..Great to know that this school produced such a hero!!!!

Hey, I'm also a KV Picket alum onlee....

OMG, I know Sunil Ganapathy! He was of my batch (and in my section to boot) to graduate from KVP (new block). Shux, this is indeed a sad day.I salute this brave and nice man.

[Arun_S]

Dammit...
Even im a alumini of KV,Picket..Great to know that this school produced such a hero!!!!

Hey, I'm also a KV Picket alum onlee....

OMG, I know Sunil Ganapathy! He was of my batch (and in my section to boot) to graduate from KVP (new block). Shux, this is indeed a sad day.I salute this brave and nice man.

Sum & VSudhir: Great to hear that you too are from that great school. When you go to Hyd again please try to contact Major Sunil Ganapathy's family, and send a bouquet of gratitude to them! I will pitch in.

In fact after hearing of Major Sunil Ganapathy's balidaan, I was thinking of a project to erect a Granite piller in school premises with the names engraved of those who chose the honorable profession and died while defending Indian Borders. (Yam Reeka has that in almost all schools). I know we will never know many unnamed Picketians who trod the path before and died in service of Bharat, but then there is always a first step, and a mean to inspire more Picketiens (a big "Unknown soldier" engraved for those unnamed before record keeping started). At least the school will remember the forgotten sons on 2 days of the year.

BTW new building is nice, but old bldg was better in its prime days (I guess teen years always is a golden time in individual consciousness). New building was stared when I was in 11th std, but never got to see it built. Since then visited KVPicket once in 2001.

Jai Hind.

[putnanja]

‘Shortage of special clothing forcing Army to issue old stock in Siachen’

‘Shortage of special clothing forcing Army to issue old stock in Siachen’
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Manu Pubby Posted: Oct 25, 2008 at 0001 hrs IST
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New Delhi, October 24 : The Army faces a glaring shortage of special clothing required for troops on the Siachen glacier and issues old and worn items to soldiers, affecting their morale and operational effectiveness, the latest report by the Comptroller and Auditor General says.

In a damning report that reveals that the Army is facing shortages of close to 70 per cent of the special clothing due to faulty procurement process of the Ordnance department, the report says an unauthorised practice of issuing partially worn stores to soldiers is being followed on the glacier.

Blaming the Army’s Master General of Ordnance for the shortages between 2002-07, the report says besides shortages, imports are being made by the Army without proper qualitative requirements. The audit reveals that shortages in crucial items, including sleeping bags, socks, jackets, gloves, boots and even snow goggles ranges from 44 to 70 per cent. The biggest deficiency the Army faces is in gloves and with barely 30 per cent of the required stock available on the glacier.

The Army’s contention that it is meeting the shortages by reissuing worn clothing to soldiers on the glacier has also come under severe fire by CAG that terms the use of second hand clothing as ‘unauthorised’. The report says the ‘unauthorised practice’ was resorted to due to the Army’s failure to make timely procurements for soldiers on the glacier. It observes that most of the special clothing used by soldiers on the glacier is recycled despite instructions by the MoD to issue new clothing to soldiers.

“Recycling of special clothing items is not desirable on grounds of hygiene, operational suitability and overall morale of the troops,” the report says, adding that 14 out of the 20 special clothing items issued to soldiers are reissued.

Raising the spectre of a scam in disposal of unrecyclable items, the report observes that the current system of disposal has many loop holes and items may be reaching the civil market for sale to the public.

[Nayak]

Unsung Heroes: The Ice Warriors

[Gerard]

My first post.i a newbie here I came across this study on high altitude warfare.your comments plz.Also i want to read more about artillery usage in kargil. there are very few videos of bofors in use in kargil

http://www.nps.edu/academics/sigs/nsa/p ... osta03.pdf

[Gerard]

The Coldest War

[Paul]

Gerard...we discussed this before...please see p3 of the thread.

Paul Post subject: Posted: 12 Sep 2006 07:59 pm

BRFite


Joined: 25 Jun 1999 06:01 am
Posts: 846 I have no desire to meet this man

First seven pages are from Pakistan perspective. This article is a reprint from NYTimes and I think was posted here before. I was so fascinated reading about Narendra Kumar that I thought I would share it with all of you.

I salute this great man and wish him all the best.



Top

Babui Post subject: Posted: 12 Sep 2006 08:42 pm

BRFite


Joined: 01 Jan 1970 12:00 am
Posts: 166
Location: Long Island, NY Fascinating!! We had discussed this article a while ago and commented on Capt Das' fondness for rock......And I salute Gen. ML Chibber without whom we, likely, would have lost all of Siachen. Now he is a Sai Baba devotee http://www.siachen.ch/front_content.php ... 3&client=1



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Paul Post subject: Posted: 12 Sep 2006 11:05 pm

BRFite


Joined: 25 Jun 1999 06:01 am
Posts: 846 BTW....I think there is a psy-ops angle to this article. It very subtely favors the Pakistanis while portraying India as the aggressor which fired the first shot. All the environmental damage is projected as coming from India like the photo on page 1.

But then what else can be expected of NYT



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Lalmohan Post subject: Posted: 13 Sep 2006 01:46 pm

BRFite


Joined: 30 Dec 2005 12:58 pm
Posts: 1291 Paul - I don't see any bias towards Pakistan. if anything they come across as boorish and fanatical (big surprise there!) and we look more human. the authors have tried hard not to take sides. they have also been given more honest info on the indian side which they have reported. to me this is a great testament to indian values which the pakistanis could not even dream of



Top

Acharya Post subject: Posted: 13 Sep 2006 02:13 pm

BRF Oldie


Joined: 09 Feb 1999 07:01 am
Posts: 5494 I agree with Paul

[Gagan]

This article is dated just after Vajpayee's bus trip to Lahore and before Kargil.
http://partners.nytimes.com/library/wor ... r-war.html

So the two armies fight on, proud of conquering the elements if not each other. Their doctors have become experts at high-altitude medicine, their helicopter pilots adroit at skirting the cliffs. Solar panels are affixed to some igloos.

On the Indian side, a kerosene pipeline is being completed. A ski lift will ferry soldiers across the canyons. A pulley system has begun to hoist supplies up the mountainsides. Bacteria are eating human waste in machines called biodigesters.

"We have become specialists at high-altitude fighting -- probably the best in the world," boasted General Sawhney, sounding as self-congratulatory as his Pakistani counterparts. "We can tolerate the harsh elements. We have made livable conditions."

This was 10 years ago. Any news on the status of any of these?
The biodigesters seem to be a good idea. Any idea of its origin? Any new indian innovation being incorporated there?

[shravan]

The biodigesters seem to be a good idea. Any idea of its origin?

http://www.andhranews.net/India/2009/Ma ... -95842.asp
March 20, 2009

Gwalior, Mar 20 : The Defence Research and Development Establishment (DRDE), a wing of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which developed an environment friendly toilet technology called 'bio-digester, has now installed four bio-digester toilets at Vivekananda Nidam in Madhya Pradesh.

The technology, was first used by the defence forces in high altitude, has now been put under trial for commercial purpose in Vivekananda Nidam.

[Gagan]

Wasn't such a biodigester aboard the INS Jalashwa (Ex USS Trenton) where a leak caused the death of naval personnel due to toxic gases (Methane I think)

[Airavat]

GOC-in-C Northern Command Lt Gen B S Jaswal, accompanied by Lt Gen SK Singh GOC Fire & Fury Corps, visited forward posts in Siachen Glacier and posts in Ladakh Sector.

Lt Gen BS Jaswal interacted with troops and conveyed his appreciation for their dedication and commitment in guarding the country, in such inhospitable terrain under extreme climatic conditions, and stressed the need for alertness at all levels.

[RayC]

Recd n e mail

Taken from the book 'Fangs of Ice – Story of Siachen' by Lt Col Ishfaq Ali

In the stillness of the night, Naib Subedar Atta Mohammad was awakened by the shrill screams of a desperate women crying for help. For a second he thought it was a nightmare, but his sharp and instant reflexes immediately woke him to the reality of the situation. Some gangsters were trying to kidnap a woman. Without losing any precious time he jumped out of his bed, barefooted he ran in the direction of the plaintive cries. Before the assaulters could realize what was happening, he had grabbed the rifle of one of the armed men and had sent him reeling on the ground with a flying-kick. The next man was dealt a blow in the ribs with the butt of the rifle. Before the other could react the battle was over and gun was staring the brigands in the face. Having unarmed them, he shepherded them into a room and sent for the police. His quick and intrepid action had helped save the life and honour of a respectable daughter of the soil.

This lion hearted man of iron nerves and steely fists had a soft and tender heart. He doted upon his children, loved his wife, looked after his mother and relatives, was kind to his neighbors and generous to his friends. Having chosen the army as his profession, he got recruited in the Army Services Corps in 1965 and then later in 1970, he was selected for the special services group. As a commando he often used to go on missions that were fraught with danger.

Thrice he had a close call but he would return unscathed. Perhaps nature was saving him for the crowning honour that he was to receive in the forty second year of his life. His company was now being sent to Siachen. Before leaving for the glaciated region Atta went to spend a few days at his village. On the last night at home, he asked his mother, Sami bibi, to wake him early in the morning. He had to catch the first bus for Rawalpindi from where he would go to his future destination. His mother lovingly asked enquired when he would be coming back. He told her this time it would be pretty long before he returned home. That night the whole family chatted for a long time. In the morning when Samo Bibi came to wake up her son, he was already out of bed and was on the prayer mat, offering his prayers. His mother told him it was a bit early for the morning prayer to which he laughingly remarked, ‘God accepts the ill-timed prayers of the travellers’. He picked up his ruck sack, kissed the foreheads of his sleeping children, touched the feet of his mother and left the house. After ten minutes he was again back. His mother felt surprised, it was not this wont to return after he had left. He told her he had come to fetch the blanket that he had forgotten to take along. Again he kissed the sleeping children and bade farewell to his wife and mother. He came back the third time. His daughter Kauser was sitting with her grandmother on the prayer mat. He felt pleased that she had gotten up for morning prayers. Atta’s mother asked ‘Atta what is the matter? It looks like as if you don’t want to go’. Atta told her the bus had not yet come so he thought of spending a few more moments with his family.

Having undergone the necessary travel and having reached Siachen, Atta was trudging along for his final destination. Heavily harnessed in thick American snowline equipment and survival-pack, he was heading a party of 4 SSG men who were to relieve their friends at the peak. The merger of their white robes with the vast whiteness of snow adequately prevented them from being picked up by enemy NVDs (Night Vision Devices) on the next ridge line. Mercury had fallen well below minus 30C. Freezing wind had induced a terribly painful numbness on their bodies, hands and feet being the worst- affected. Although it was intensely cold yet while they tussled with the ropes and trudged upward, their hands and feet started sweating in the thick gloves and warm socks. However, the outside temperature turned the sweat into thin crystals of ice which in their reverse effect bit their skin as if they had stepped on a mound of carnivorous ants. The misery of biting cold was further compounded by paucity of oxygen. Yet they must make it to the top before the luminous dawn removed the hazy curtain of night; so as to avoid being hit by the trigger-happy handlers of Vickers in the nearby enemy post located toward the South East. He cheerfully enquired the morale of his companions and giving a few minutes breather, asked them to get ready for the last 150 feet of sheer vertical ascent. His companions too were cheery and resolute. Climatic severity had only affected their bodies but their humour and spirits were not much ruffled.

Soon they were onto the ropes for the final climb. He has placed himself second in the queue so as to keep an eye contact with all the members of his team. A sudden tuck tuck of enemy MG slashed ice from very near and they all had a narrow shave. He looked back and warned Nasrullah to creep close to the slab as his shadow on the white snow was attracting the fire. Directing and helping at the ropes he soon broke the crest line where he was greeted by his precursor Subedar Ghulam Rasul. A few minutes of briefing and Ghulam Rasul was on his way down with three others. It’s much easier, speedier and merrier on a downward slide.

From there on, the top was trusted to the experience and ability of Naib/Subedar Atta Mohammad, who would rightfully pride in the glory of the task, yet writhe in the uneasiness of responsibility. Conscious of calling of his duty he walked to the sentry-post and through the use of NVDs scanned the enemy positions and own area of responsibility. His companions had moved into the lone igloo for nurse-tending their bodies. He walked to the next sentry and chattingly enquired about the arc of fire and enemy dispositions. These sentries were already there to be relieved on a later date. Then he went to a vantage point on the farther side and had a good view of the ridges and the tops around. He had been there earlier too, but nothing looked familiar, sparing the general direction of the enemy. He wondered that nothing is more consistent than change. Sudden activation of avalanches and snow blizzards could instantly change topography of the area filling old crevasses and creating many new ones; razing all mounds which interrupted their blitz and bolt and producing dozens of new lumps. He stood meditatively placing his nearly frozen left foot on the outer edge of the bowl-shaped plateau and surveying his environs thought out a duty roster for his detachment for the next fortnight. Being sure of how he and his men had to perform their task during the next few days, he moved inside the igloo to rest.

When he reappeared from his artic habitat, the sun shone from its easterly nest. The glare of sun rays refracting from the gleaming waves of fresh snow obliged him to wear polar goggles. Early sunshine had quite brightened the vast canvas of linear Saltoro Range, seeping through the steamy clouds in the far distance. He was absolutely overawed by the fabulous splendour of this icy region where freshly frosted cones of rocks and beauteous network of lucent icicles trailing from the outer layers of peaks had cast a spell of an unearthly sort. While rejoicing at the stunning view of unravished natural grace he little knew what lay ahead for him and his men. He thought this spectacular site was more fit for some fairy landish existence than for any combat field. Since 1944 when he was born, he had been to numerous places varying in look and climate; but what he was viewing now could not even pass anywhere near his dreams.

This was the Quaid Post at an altitude of 21,600 feet, named after the company which established it in April 86. It stands out as the loftiest feature in the heights of Bilafond sector overlooking Rana and Akbar Tops to the West, Prem in the North and Yaqub in the East where enemy lay entrenched in mutually supporting and well riveted dug-outs. Primarily, the top served as an observation-post from where enemy’s rear could be amply observed. Enemy would particularly feel teased by Quaid OP when it directed artillery shelling onto it as far back as the heli-zone in their rear, not allowing air-dropping of reinforcements nor any movement without cover. Quaid OP was set up on a plateau not more than 15 meters in radius. From an aerial view the top looked like a swelled octopus of ice with its 3 major tentacles spread out in long protrusions sloping down as they extended outward. Its rearward arm was a large cliff with a sheer fall of 300 feet on all sides at the base of which was located the Quaid Post that supported the Quaid OP. Its right projection was a gradually falling spur fading into a forest of broken conical rocks, whereas on the left was a thick mass of rising rock falling steeply on its sides. Own troops had only one approach towards the peak moving along the rope tied with iron pickets curving its path over the homeward projection of the rocks. Deep crevices and steep boulders would push them further to the east. Area to the left of Quaid Post was criss-crossed with deep gorges and huge crevasses. Dizzying steepness of OP’s side in the west ruled out chances of any access to it through this route. Enemy too could only negotiate the OP along the right slope where the gradient was gradual and manageable.

Atta carried out a thorough tactical appreciation and adjusted the arc of his MG1A3 on the left pit and briefed his sentry in the right dugout. In addition, he placed a sentry in the passage which was cut out for entry in the igloo. This sentry was to maintain visual contact with the two sentries and alarm his men inside the igloo in view of any danger. Atta directed his men to exercise strict adherence to the practice of always keeping 3 sentries by day and 3 by night. These sentries would change every 6 hours during the day and every 2 hours at night. Atta was exceedingly vigilant now, heeding to his Officer Commanding Major Irshad’s call from Ali Brangsa fore-warning him of likely enemy attempt to capture the OP. “They’ll pay fir it very dearly,” his resolution inspired much confidence in his commander. Enemy shelling, occasional dropping of air bursts and intermittent spraying of their Vickers was all in a day’s job and ticked on in the stray bangs of artillery shells and clatter of automatics. His men were a happy team who loved its commander for his cheerful disposition and resilient spirits.

On 20th June in the early hours of morning a sudden snow blizzard of heavy intensity hit the Quaid Top. Fast cold wind which blew in a whirlwind motion seemed to carry a sea of snow in its fold. Temperature had dropped to minus 35 Centigrade. The lone igloo was the only place that offered some protection against the storm, but the danger of being buried inside the igloo must keep at least four of them constantly busy in cleaning with shovels the passage that would get filled with mass of fresh snow every 10 minutes. The blizzard lasted for hours and didn’t seem to stop or even reduce in intensity. Hours of ice picking and biting chilliness of wind would tell upon their faces and Sepoy Nasrullah who was the youngest of them all suggested to his leader to quit this endless duel with nature, abandon the igloo and to lie in the open, wrapped up in the sleeping bags. Atta smiled at his innocence and himself shoveling asked him to move inside the igloo and have some rest. He knew such a thing will be fatal as freezing chill would soon coagulate blood in the inactive body and in that state they all may well be stiffened to death. He was reminded of May 4 when he trekked to this Top, from the base camp to retrieve Naik Yunis from the same igloo in which a strong snow blizzard had buried him. He had survived this burial for 5 longs days, thanks mainly to the expeditionary zeal and resolution of Naib Subedar Atta.

Atta and his man battled with the blizzard that raged strong for two days receding in its intensity at noon 22nd to clear by evening completely. Hey all had almost tired themselves to death by constant ice picking and now breathed a sigh of relief. They moved to the different edges of the post to feast their eyes on the fascinating scenery of surroundings which was completely altered by the cartographic effect of the blizzard. Quite strangely a place where hey fenced with death a short while ago, now presented an enthralling and enlivening view of nature.

That day Atta had 7 men under his command. Lance Naik Jehanzeb, Seoy Fiaz, Sepoy Sher Ali, Sepoy Allahyar, Sepoy Nasrullah, Sepoy Arshad and Sepoy Zulfiqar who came from districts of Kark, Haripur, Khushab, Talagang, Sargodha, Gujrat and Sialkot respectively. They were all sturdy and tough hardened by years of experience in the Army. As the blizzard died down they resumed normal post duties. Taking their evening meal, some pre-cooked meal, some pre-cooked rice in the igloo Sepoy Sher Ali noticed that his friend Nasrullah who belonged to his area and was just recently married looked pensive and absorbed in his thoughts. “Don’t bother soon I’ll be Shaheed and you’ll get 10 days off to deliver my dead body”, Sher Ali tried to cheer-up Nasrullah. “I don’t want to sacrifice a dear friend for a few days visit home. We’ll go home together when ever it comes or we’ll die together.” Nasrullah replied stirred by the affection and concern of his bosom friend. Atta was through on his wireless set with Ali Brangsa. He was told that an attack on Quaid OP was imminent. He talked to Major Irshad about the scarcity of ammunition. He was also anxious about the malfunctioning of 12.7 AAMG that was damaged during enemy attack on the Eid day and needed to be replaced. Major Irshad confirmed that reinforcement was on its way.

Everyone noticed that their leader was charged with greater zeal and energy as he readied his men to fight the enemy. When he visited the two pits and briefed the sentries, his face glowed with a radiance of confidence and a conviction of the holy nature of their job.

During all this time Indian brigade headquarters stationed at Pratapur had worked out an elaborate plan of falling Quaid OP what they would call ‘Sonam Point’. Their MI-17 the huge transport helicopters, kept stacking reinforcements and other supplies close to the front while their Cheeta Choppers were busy bringing key men and commanders forward and 4 Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry spread out its men in the dead ground behind Prem Top. Sometimes later they were to charge on Quaid OP. They had thought Quaid Top to be a heavily fortified post, hence deemed necessary a full-fledged battalion attack supported by heavy mortar and artillery shelling. Clad in their Austrian snow-boot and Swiss down-suits, they sneaked towards their Forward Assembly Area.

On the afternoon of 22nd June when the blizzard had died down giving way to a gigantic silence at Bilafondla; dozens of field and medium guns, howitzers and mortars propelled their plosive rounds onto the Quaid Top. The booming of guns and the banging of shells caused many an avalanche in the proximity of the peak; however the straying of their shoot made Atta smile under his lips as he stood at his observation-pit surveying the area. There were many factors agitating his mind, his main pre-occupation being dearth of ammunition and of kerosene oil. Without kerosene oil there could be no food cooked nor any water made. Drinking water was prepared by the melting of snow on a locally made wick-burner. Atta knew that the burner had its last fill of fuel which would not last long. He ordered that the burner will only be used for preparing drinking water. Food was to be nibbled dry and cold. Ablution was either to be substituted by performance of ‘Tayumum’ or was to be had by use of fresh snow. The guns kept shelling almost the whole night, ironically raising the morale of their intended victims by their inaccuracy.

Morning of 23rd June was almost as bright as a tropical dawn, enemy shells continued falling at regular intervals. Shelling often cutout OP’s line-communication with the post and Atta Muhammad could only communicate with Ali Brangsa through wireless. Atta could look very clearly at the base camp from where reinforcements had long moved upward. But he could well appreciate why they were not reaching him. Enemy had effectively blocked the lone route to the Top. Instantly he heard that own guns and mortars also started shelling Prem Top “That’s the way” he clasped his hands. At midday, enemy’s shelling focused completely on the Top. Many shells fell around them raising huge splashes of snow creating big craters. He correctly figured out that Indians wanted to neutralize life at the OP before attempting its physical occupation. Conceivably constant pounding of the peak would either kill its occupants or scare them away to save their lives.

Suddenly Atta Muhammad heard Jehanzeb say that left pit was hit. Atta ran to it and was much overwhelmed to see Sepoy Sher Ali soaked in his own blood breathing his last. Atta placed Sher’s head in his lap with all the love and warmth, but he had already distinguished himself as the first martyr of Quaid Top. Nasrullah stood there with a glass of water: sad but furious, pledging to avenge the death of his very dear friend. They all offered Fateha at their places of duty and Atta asked two of them to place the dead body in the sleeping bag to be placed next to the pit. Atta inspected the destroyed position and was concerned to see that the blow had destroyed many other items including an RPG-7 rocket launcher and a box of SMG rounds. Holding-pod of MG was also destroyed and its barrel was partially damaged. He checked it and felt satisfied that it could be used.

At mid-night 23/24 June, Nasrullah and Zulfiqar were on duty. A queer hissing in the middle distance alarmed them. They signaled to Arshad in the passage and soon Atta was with them to observe through the NVD. He quickly grasped the situation and keeping his wits about instructed them to hold their fire till he shouted ‘Allah-o-Akbar’ and sent Arshad to make everybody stand-to. Atta waited till his prey appeared in the killing-zone. He himself held the podless MG, placing in it a belt of cartridges. A loud cry of Allah-o-Akbar from him and his MG and his companion’s SMGs and rifles sprayed the enemy which had stepped into the death-trap. In the dark, enemy’s orderly move was turned into a worst form of panic and they rushed for shelter in the broken rocks at Quaid’s farthest edge of its right spur. Instantly the whole area was lit with flares of Very Light and illumination-mortar bombs fired by the enemy. Atta and his men could see 12 dead and a trail of injured-ones disappearing into cover. They shouted their inspiring war cries urging on the enemy to show up. Their slogans were only to be responded either by a feeble ‘Jaye-Hind’ or by very interesting abusive yell of Hindu officers condemning their men for cowardice and gracelessness, reminding them that they had volunteered for the job and now they were all showing their backs. It was a complete company of 4 J&K L I but they were all glued to the ground and none dared rise. Meanwhile Major Irshad was desperately trying to reach the Top but it was 12 hours constant uphill climb and the entire route was under heavy artillery fire. Quaid OP was again engaged by massive firepower but Atta and his party’s watchful stance was least disturbed. Their friends at the Post attempted hard to reinforce the Top but a constant flow of automatic fire and extensive dropping of shells did not let them have any headway. Their party had hardly gone a short distance when a barrage of enemy fire mortally hit Sepoy Allah Bux and Amanat acquitting them their party before God and before their friends on Quaid Top.

During a quiet interval in the later part of night Arshad and Fiaz set out to bring back a jerry-can of K-II oil which was tied about 50 feet down the cliff, left there by them 4 days before to shed excess weight while ascending a bluff. Soon Arshad came running to inform Atta that ropes there were cut and Fiaz had fallen down the rock. Atta rushed to the point from where they usually descended and he instantly understood why reinforcements couldn’t reach him. The nylon ropes which they had spread for support during the climb were all shattered into pieces by artillery drops. He quickly informed the Post to search for Fiaz and recover him. The Post had just managed to restore the line communication.

Atta kept scanning the area. He noticed that some shadows flickered at the base of the OP’s vertical column. For a moment he thought that they were his own men but their attempt to cut the ropes and remove the pickets which marked own route to the OP made the situation very clear him. It was Captain Partap Singh, the hostile artillery spotter, with a few men trying to fully sever OP’s link with rest of the world. Atta pulled the pin off his HE-36 and lobbed two of them one retraced their steps to a big boulder where they established a blocking position. While all this was going on, Jahanzeb madly dug the snow at back of the igloo. Atta enquired from him what he was doing and was mush amused to listen that he was exploring oil as Pakistan was not quite self-sufficient in this mineral. Atta, however, ignored it thinking that he must be saving his marrow from freezing by keeping himself active. A few minutes after that Jahanzeb shrieked a happy ‘Ya-hoo’ and held in his hands a stove which he claimed was half full of oil and it lay there buried since the last blizzard one month ago. Now there was oil to help in cooking and making drinking water and Atta was relieved of a part of his tension. Absence of oil had caused persistent hunger and thirst. Every one’s stomach shrank close to spine and gullet thorned with dryness. He much laughed at Jahanzeb’s humor. He was right after all. The day passed under the thick umbrella of artillery fire. The Top was almost churned to powder but the valiant warriors sat quite composed cleaning their weapons for the final encounter with the locust storm of foes. Enemy resumed their major offensive at 11 PM on June 25. They tried to reach the Top in a three-pronged attack while pinning the peak under unabated covering fire. Atta through sheer will power and invincible faith in the rightness of his cause stuck to his guns.

Lance Naik Jehanzeb with machine gun in hand and others with rifles and SMGs engaged the first layer of attackers with accurate aimed-sniping. They used their cartridges quite frugally lest they should run out of ammunition. An air burst hit Nasrullah; he thus fulfilled his promise of living and dying together with his dear friend Sher Ali. Atta kept conducting the defence valiantly, shuttling himself from one point to another moving quickly to places where enemy had advanced. During one such scampering rush a few stray bullets from enemy automatics gored past his left shin and thigh. Blood gushed out profusely and Allahyar ran to help. Atta directed him to mind his post and dragged himself to the wireless set. He grabbed some lose snow and inserted it in the gaping wound. The trick worked and the bleeding stopped.

He immediately got through with gunners at Ali Brangsa and called for artillery fire. “Drop 400. Drop 200. Add 100” and own guns were onto the advancing foes. Own OP at Sarwar Top too had spotted the enemy creeping-up, and brought their mortar fire on them. The lone fighters suffered another loss when Allahyar sustained a nearly mortal blow from an artillery shell that fully pierced both his legs.

They had been locked in furious battle for three hours and the enemy was repelled to its last sanctuary. All the three columns ran to their rear leaving behind a score more of dead. At 2.30 AM on June 26 Atta breathed a sigh of relief that enemy attack had been successfully repulsed. He got Allahyar evacuated inside the igloo and Nasrullah’s body put in the sleeping bag to be placed next to Sher’s. Arshad brought him a ground-sheet to lie on and a glass of water to drink.

The later part of the night was almost quiet. The memories of his past reeled fast in his mind. He recalled his perfectly delightful boyhood when he attended Government High School Sillanwali. A few years later when youth glowed his face, broadened his shoulders, and expanded his bosom, he had become a delectable young man. He loved to be a soldier and his mother didn’t come in his way. A few years of service in Army Supply Corps didn’t offer him any challenge and he opted for the hard Special Services Group. Training at Cherat had chiseled him into a smart tough and agile commando to undertake any task having any degree of risk or challenge. He considered himself lucky to have participated in numerous ventures of national importance. He felt elated that though he was not highly placed in the hierarchy of army ranks yet whenever a major national crisis arose he had a tangible service to render.

A flash of retrospective cogitation reminded him of his family; his mother, his wife and 5 kids. He loved them all profoundly and cared for them no less. In his last letter that he wrote to Tanvir his eldest son, he readied them all for what was imminent. Quick succession of memories in his mind dawned on him the ephemeral nature of life. How long or short one lives is not the question. How gracefully and boldly one lives is what matters.

A wireless call from Quaid Post broke his chain of thought and he was back in the heat of combat. His company officer had just made it to the Post and had managed to establish wireless link with the OP. He promised to try hard to break the enemy’s encirclement of the Post and bring reinforcements. Atta told him of the predicament of his men. He said as long as he and his friends were alive and there was one last round of ammunition, enemy, dare not not reach the Top, doubting if both would last long. He was however glad to learn that Fiaz had survived the fall and had reached the Post safe.

Atta had just finished with his morning prayer when Jehanzeb brought him some biscuits and a glass of water. He examined the condition of the OP as he did his breakfast. In the far end the 12.7 lay broken since long. Allahyar in the igloo had succumbed to his wounds, Arshad and Zulfiqar manned the two pits; their eyes were sunken in the sockets and faces quite shriveled with weariness. Lance Naik Jehanzeb who was the tallest and the most robust of them all, appeared to be better disposed; conscious perhaps of his responsibility in view of his commander’s injury.

In the middle distance enemy formed up for an even more massive attack. The fact that they had completely isolated the OP and that the men on Top had nearly exhausted their ammunition, helped them gather some strength and give it a final try. They had amassed two fresh companies that the OP must be very heavily manned. Own troops’ final attempt to reinforce the Top too had not been successful mainly due to the absence of ropes near the summit and because of exposure to enemy’s extensive direct fire from the blocking position. At 9 o’clock in the morning when the sun shone brightly above their heads and its glare on the white battlefield became discomforting for the eye, the ridge boomed with the fresh resumption of heavy shelling. It was a prelude to the eventual attack. A short while later Arshad noticed a hundred enemy soldiers advancing towards the Top in extended lines. Atta too dragged close to the edge with SMG in hand and a spare magazine in the pouch. Jehanzeb placed the wireless set next to him. Atta immediately called for own guns and they responded instantly. Many of the enemy had come quite close to the summit when Atta ordered fire. Close ones fell and the others ran back, some stuck to the slope. Indians had a tremendous advantage of having a gradual slope to ascend. Hide and seek of the enemy persisted for hours. At about noon an air burst exploded just close to the stubborn warrior and Atta’s left arm was reduced to mince-meat. Jehanzeb instantly took him to the igloo and Atta in an enfeebled voice asked for the wireless set. He brought the mouth piece close to his mouth with much difficulty and talked to his friend Subedar Barkat that he and his men had lived upto his words. He told the Base that his ammunition had completely finished and he was about to tell his remaining companions to escape for it was definitely better than becoming enemy’s prisoners. Just then a burst of enemy LMG hit Jehanzeb in the face and he sprawled on the bodies of his sleeping friends. Arshad rushed into the igloo, told his commander of Jehanzeb’s Shahadat and asked for orders as they had pooped off their ammunition. Atta ordered them to leave the OP immediately and desired to be carried outside the Igloo where he lay half conscious with SMG in the lone hand. There must be one odd bullet in the magazine he thought.

Arshad with his MG and Zulfiqar with his G-3 in hands leapt off the cliff, least hoping to survive 300 feet of sheer fall. God perhaps didn’t want the holy story of summit to remain untold that they reached the Post quite safe. Enemy on the other side was quite baffled at the prolonged quiet on the peak. They considered it to be another wile of the hard fighters. Subedar Bana Singh later to win the highest gallantry award crept up the Top with a few others. A couple of bullets from the middle felled the man in front. A burst of fire from the side hit Atta who already half dead and thus tasted the long-cherished martyrdom. Bana Singh and his men stood there with their eyes dazed and a great degree of compunction and remorse. The joy of victory was short lived. It was even more distressing for the CO of 4 J&K L I to accept that they were just people who cost them 41 dead (as revealed by the signal interceptions) and a much larger trail of injured who nursed their wounds in various Field Dressing Stations and in the military hospital of Leh. Could a lone detachment of about half a dozen people thwart the onslaught of a battalion for days? It was embarrassing to mention and insulting to think. Brigade Commander at Pratapur was glad however, that though they hadn’t gained much, they had denied their enemy a great deal. Their rear was safe and supplies could go on.

As per the normal roster of duty Naib Subedar Atta’s two two weeks duty was to terminate on June 26. He was to be relieved in the evening on that day. God ensured that Himself. Oscar Wilde mentions of God’s practice of asking for the dearest thing every evening. On June 26 when the sun slipped into its westerly slot, God commanded his angels to bring Him the loveliest thing on earth. They soon returned bearing n their celestial wings war-weary bullet smeared huddled figure of Atta Muhammad, his face still gleaming and eyes beaming with fearless radiation. God was pleased with the judgment of his subordinates.

When the bodies of the Shuhada of Quaid OP were received at an Indian Outpost in the Holding Sector in the middle of July, it was a stirring spectacle. They had preserved the bodies with greatest care and respect knowing that the valiant ought to be honoured. Wrapped up in parachute cloth the bodies lay quite fresh in the beautifully prepared coffins on the top of which was written the holy Kalima. They handed over the body of each Shaheed after giving it a general salute and the solemn ceremony concluded. The bodies were heli-lifted and immediately taken to their places of burial.

There wasn’t a clean 2 inches of Atta’s body which was without any injury, his chest quite perforated with bullets. This is what lends some authenticity to the account of hat happened at the Top when Atta became its lone defender. Bana Singh pays a rich tribute to the defenders of Quaid OP. “They were obstinate fighters and they fought hard” he confessed.

When the body of Atta Muhammad reached Chak 125 of Sargodha for burial, a large assembly of people had already thronged there to take a last glimpse of the valiant custodian of their glory and honour. His commanders had recommended him for the highest gallantry award. Award of Sitara-e-Juraat was a mere token of recognition of his priceless service to his nation.

They say when sun shines brightly on Siachen in the last days of June and the upper layer of snow gets softened, a loud roar of Allah-o-Akbar resounds in the stupendous stillness of Bilafond region sending many an avalanche cracking down the slopes and the legend of the lone defenders of Quaid OP persists.

[Sanju]

touched the feet of his mother and left the house.

So the Civilisational ember still burns somewhere.

[rohitvats]

While the writer gives an almost 'first hand' account of the battle as if he was there and remembers every possible detail....he does not bother to check that it was 8 JAK LI and not 4 JAK LI......

Also, the whole article is written in a manner eulogising the Islamic fervour and bravery......the venerable mujahid against the kaffir.....not a mention of regimental spirit...no dedication to duty borne out of the oath one has taken and sense of belonging to the country.......if this is what a Lt.Col. of PA writes and if this is symptomatic of his breed....PA has gone down the tube....assuming he is recently retired or even serving officer of PA, when likes of him reach the top...it will be more trouble and nuisance for India....

and no wonder.....pakis think their army is made of supermen...

[negi]

This is worth mentioning since this comes from a PA officer, this was in 1987 .

When the bodies of the Shuhada of Quaid OP were received at an Indian Outpost in the Holding Sector in the middle of July, it was a stirring spectacle. They had preserved the bodies with greatest care and respect knowing that the valiant ought to be honoured. Wrapped up in parachute cloth the bodies lay quite fresh in the beautifully prepared coffins on the top of which was written the holy Kalima. They handed over the body of each Shaheed after giving it a general salute and the solemn ceremony concluded. The bodies were heli-lifted and immediately taken to their places of burial.

And what did these guys do with Lt. Sourabh Kalia in 1999 , and then stooped to yet another level to not even accept the bodies of their soldiers .

And since he attributes everything to God he should realize that the same God has denied them Siachin ever since .

[Sanju]

Does anyone know what was the casualty from the Indian side?

This account seems to be have been written for the Pak madrassa, rather than in an historical manner as a statement of record.
Typical to write Indian officers as "Hindu" officers. That is the trouble with living in a mono environment. Your lenses are distorted so are your views. This account is interesting more for what it missed out. My sentences are short for the benefit of the lurkers. Next wait for the Quaid Post movie. On the same lines of "International Guerrilley".