Bharat Rakshak

Some glaciers on Asia's Karakoram mountains are defying the global trend and getting thicker, say researchers.

A French team used satellite data to show that glaciers in part of the Karakoram range, to the west of the Himalayan region, are putting on mass.

The reason is unclear, as glaciers in other parts of the Himalayas are losing mass - which also is the global trend.

The region's glaciers are poorly studied, yet provide a vital water source for more than a billion people.

The response of Himalayan glaciers to global warming has been a hot topic ever since the 2007 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which contained the erroneous claim that ice from most of the region could disappear by 2035.

Srinagar-Leh highway to reopen on April 25
M Aamir Khan
Tribune News Service

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six bulldozers

there is something fishy about this incident and sudden clamouring to resolve the issue
perhaps they are just exploiting their dead... (as usual)

Good article on PVC Hon Capt Bana Singh
http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/s ... 120417.htm

India, since 1984, has lost 720 soldiers, with 60 per cent falling to General Glacier.

^^

What a pathetic excuse of a nation we are becoming. It has come dowm to tiny bits like Haji Pir pass while no ones talks of PoK anymore.

We don't have the balls to ask them to withdraw from PoK but we are ready to provide them the leverage to decide our own force deployments inside ouu own territories.

Kashmir has been the cause of two wars between India and Pakistan and the nuclear-armed rivals fought over Siachen in 1987

The Facts : About Thoise operation by IL-76

I was then in command of NO44 Sqn. Operation Brass Tacks was at peak and blooming. All Sqdns of the IAF had been moved to their Op locations. So was 44 Sqn moved to Nagpur by mid Jan 1987.

I was called to Air Hq during 3rd week of Jan 1987. Then ACAS (Ops) briefed me that Cat ‘A’ vehicles of the Army (BMP’s) are to be moved to Shyok Valley. Thoise Runway was just 1700 meters at that time: I discussed the matter with the ACAS (ops) and the Dops (T & M). And desired that I would like to make a heptr recee to Thoise.

The recee was done on 27/28 Jan 1987. A Broad white line was marked on the landing R/W to indicate the touchdown point. All touchdowns were to be ensured ± 1 meter of the white line. Any overshoot of white line would have resulted over shoot and the touchdown before the white line would have resulted a touchdown on Kaccha. WAT calculations were done and an empty aircraft (IL-76) landing was carried out on 29 Jan 1987. After that 2 IL-76 were positioned at Chandigarh and I commanded 18-20 sorties in about 4 days time.

Brief details

Date 29-30, 31 Jan & 1 Feb 1987 RW length at TE-1700 meter. Load carried –one BMP in each sortie was carried weighing 13.5 Tonnes.Off loading time at TE-7 minuts.

Spl Note- Every time I landed at Thoise Lt Gen Handoo, then Army Cdr NC, used to bring a cup of tea and a samosa for me and hug me and state “Ashok you have done yeoman service to the Indian Army. At that time IL-76 were operating even at sea level to airfields of 2400 meter length.

Later on IL-76 started regular operations to Thoise when R/W was extended to 2700 meters. I was AOC CG during 1992-1993. Now R/W length at Thoise is 3500 meters. That is the story of Thoise. One of the most satisfying operations, at that time. Senior Tpt Pilots had warned me “don’t be fool hardy. You would kill yourself”. The firsthand account of Thoise operations.

This is too good. I had to post this.
While the nation mourns the tragedy, it would be prudent to investigate the cause of this unusual phenomenon. There are military technologies available which can cause artificial avalanches. Pakistan must investigate if Indians or Americans are involved. All possibilities must be probed whether it is an act of God or an act of war!

Kayani: Pak and India need to solve Siachen issues

Noting that withdrawal of troops from Siachen is necessary to improve 'atmosphere', Pakistani Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said the issue needs to be resolved by Pakistan and India.

Kayani made the remarks while interacting with reporters in the northern town of Skardu after reviewing the search operation for 138 people buried by an avalanche in Gyari sector of Siachen.

He travelled to Gyari with President Asif Ali Zardari. The Army Chief said the issue of Siachen needs to be resolved by Pakistan and India.

Kayani contended that Pakistan had stationed its troops in Siachen in response to a move by India. "The world knows why we are in Siachen," he said. The withdrawal of troops from the glacier is necessary to improve the atmosphere, Kayani was quoted as saying by Geo News channel.

From here: http://www.timesnow.tv/Kayani-Pak-and-India-need-to-solve-Siachen-issues/articleshow/4400369.cms
Key excerpts:

One senior ex-maulana from BRF madrassa had warned me that after loss of Ghyari, the Saltoro war is over. I did not take that statement seriously. Of course, from operational perspective, without Ghyari and sister location of Goma, PA cannot support and sustain troops and movements in Central and southern glacier. It is like loosing base camp for Siachen for us. It is THE node which supports all the logistics in the area.

PA chief making the above statement could only mean two things:

(a) to keep India and IA off-balance and ensure that we do not take advantage of the situation.
(b) The damage has been so severe so as to render the re-establishment of base at Ghyari/near vicinity as impossible. No base-no logistics-no troop deployment and sustainability.

With Kayani making the noises - it seems there is PA support for the entire "Siachen Peace Park" initiative. But the question is this - in what form have they asked for their pound of flesh? No authentication of AGPL? It seems, as far as Track-2 diplomacy is concerned, Siachen is an idea whose time has come.

Operation Meghdoot was a strategic blunder and the turning point in India’s relations with Pakistan....

It is high time that civil society on both sides debates the issue and brings pressure on their respective governments to do their duty by negotiating an honourable withdrawal from an area which should not have been occupied in the first place. Considering the fact that a clock of de- struction has been ticking for 25 years, there is a need of some urgency to be in- jected into the process. India and Pakistan can ill-afford the additional expenditure of maintaining thousands of troops at ex- treme altitudes. A million dollars a day could go some distance in the fight against poverty and hunger.

In the meantime, there is an alternative. General Inder Gill had recommended a unilateral withdrawal back in 1997. India could pull out from the posts on Saltoro while suggesting to Pakistan to do the same. In other words, disengage troops on both sides to lower altitudes without any preconditions. This is an unlikely scenario due to the prevailing situation. Here is a quote from a letter written by a retired air force officer, group captain A G Bewoor to the Indian Express on 8 May 2003. “Siachen is not worth another dead soldier, it never was. Siachen and only Siachen has the ability to get sorted out without any impediment and without being linked to the other part of J&K.” It is a matter of deep regret that at least another 100 Indian soldiers have been killed and some 500-odd wounded since this was written.

well, if we really can get the PA to co-authenticate the AGPL

and get some sort of mechanism in place to watch PA movement west of Saltoro, then something can be done.

But in that case, we'll spend more time in keeping a lookout and trying to second guess the pakees

they are a trecherous and duplicitous race...i wont trust them with dog-sh*t!!!!!

there is something fishy about this incident and sudden clamouring to resolve the issue
perhaps they are just exploiting their dead... (as usual)

Wonder if massa triggered the avalanche...

What if it was the Pakis themselves?

I wouldn't trust them even if they display the bodies of the soldiers/civilians

I have a question, say tomorrow in agreement with TSPA and TSP gov, we reach an accord on AGPL and some sort of monitoring too is in place, but still, one fateful day we discover that TSPA true to it's word either has occupied Siachen or has facilitated PRC to occupy, what then? how are we going to respond? declare war both on TSP and PRC? that would be a two front war. Don't you think prevention is better than cure? then why even go there in the first place and why even reach an accord, why not keep Siachen and see if time breaks TSP into pieces then we can demilitarize Siachen then if everything seems alright?

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said Thursday it was finalising details for the next round of talks with India over the disputed Siachen Glacier, a day after the army chief called for the area to be demilitarised.There have been several rounds of negotiations between Delhi and Islamabad on Siachen in recent years and Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesman Moazzam Ahmad Khan said Thursday that the plans for the next talks were in hand.“It is being discussed at defence secretary level. The next meeting will be held in Pakistan and they are finalising the dates,” he told reporters.“We have made several proposals under the Siachen dialogue process, including the redeployment of forces.”However, the Foreign Office spokesman stressed that Pakistan had not changed it’s position on Siachen, and that there was no policy change on the issue.It is in our mutual interest that we address all the issues in a meaningful and result-oriented manner,” he said.The two countries would have to find some way to move forward, he added.