Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will on Monday make his first visit to the Siachen Glacier since taking charge.
The visit to the world’s highest battlefield is to review the security situation along the border with Pakistan. Singh will be accompanied by Army Chief General Bipin Rawat and other senior officials from the Defence Ministry, unidentified government officials told ANI.
Singh, who was the home minister in the previous government, will also be briefed about the security operations being conducted by the Indian Army with the support of Indian Air Force.
“During his visit he will interact with jawans at a forward post and pay his tributes to fallen soldiers at Siachen War Memorial,” a tweet from Defence Minister’s office said. “He will also interact with the jawans at Siachen base camp.”
Siachen is a glacier in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan ends. The Indian Army has deployed a brigade in the area where some posts are located above the altitude of 6,400 metres, where even breathing normally is difficult.
The Army has been controlling the Siachen glacier since April 13, 1984, when Operation Meghdoot – the code name for a military action that was launched to capture the glacier by defeating Pakistan.
On Saturday, Singh took charge of the Ministry of Defence and immediately held a meeting with Army chief General Bipin Rawat, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa and newly-appointed Navy chief Karambir Singh. Minister of State Shripad Naik, Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra and senior officials of the ministry were also present at that meeting.
Prior to that he had visited the National War Memorial. “These fallen heroes represent the character of India who has a long history of courage, sacrifice and patriotism,” he said on Twitter.
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