Trekkers begin Siachen ascent

Despite strong opposition from the Pakistani Government and militant groups in Kashmir, the Army in Srinagar on Wednesday confirmed that a trekking team had started its ascent of the 6,300-metre high glacier in Siachen.

“Trekking started on Tuesday. The team has 42 members including cadets from the Indian Military Academy, Military School and Rashtriya Indian Military College,” said Defence spokesperson Anil Mathur. Mathur said the team had already left the Siachen base camp. “The team will take around 22 days to complete the journey,” he said. Mathur said the team underwent acclimatisation on the glacier for a week before starting the trip.

In these 22 days, the team will trek to a height of 16,000 feet.

Last Tuesday, Indian Deputy High Commissioner Manpreet Vohra was summoned by the Pakistani Foreign Office and was handed over a demarche stating that Siachen is a disputed region and that Pakistan was opposed to the Indian Army’s plan to start any tourist activity in the area. On Thursday, militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen criticised the Army for opening the glacier to tourists.