Army mulling to re-open Siachen Glacier to tourists

New Delhi: The Army is considering a proposal to re-open Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battlefield, in Ladakh for tourists, sources said on Tuesday.
Mountaineering expeditions used to be allowed to Siachen till 1984 before the ice-clad high altitude region was militarized following machinations by Pakistan.
The sources said the proposal is being considered with all earnestness since it has come directly from Army Chief General Bipin Rawat but no concrete road map has yet been laid out in this direction.
“The remark was made by the Army chief during a closed-door meeting recently. The chief said that he is thinking over a proposal to open the Siachen Glacier to people,” a senior Army official told IANS.
The Siachen Glacier, which once used to be a demilitarized zone, came under the strategic control of India in 1984 following ‘Operation Meghdoot’.
The operation had been launched by the Indian armed forces, under the leadership of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, after Pakistan allowed a Japanese team to undertake an expedition to a strategic peak in the glacier.