The Siachen saga

Lieut-Gen Harwant Singh (retd) tells about the capture of Pakistani post Quaid in Siachen

THE conflict at Siachen appears to be coming to an end. While we await the closure of the Siachen chapter, one of the greatest feats of endurance, sacrifice and valour played out at those impossible heights and in terrible weather conditions, need recalling.

In April 1984, India occupied passes on the Saltoro to pre-empt Pakistan from doing so. Eventually, we had to occupy almost every peak to deny Pakistani troops from occupying the same. However, Pakistan discovered a vertical cliff the Indians had not occupied and which could only be scaled with the use of ropes and occupied it.

This rocky outcrop was at 21,153 feet and Pakistan named the post, "Quaid". Firing from this post on an Indian helicopter which was evacuating casualties damaged it and killed two soldiers and injured the third occupant. So the removal of Quaid became imperative.

A patrol consisting of one officer, one junior commissioned officer and seven jawans set out to find a route to Quaid along the rock face and ice walls and to obtain information concerning the post. Operating at night, it climbed the icefall forming the north face of the post and fixed the ropes for the attack group. The enemy at Quaid got alerted.

The officer leading the patrol decided to move forward but came under heavy fire. Four jawans and the officer were killed. The remaining four retraced their steps. One of them later died of wounds. At a great cost to itself the patrol did a commendable job in fixing the ropes and bringing back valuable information about the post.

A force of 60 volunteers was assembled to tackle Quaid. There is a saying, "never volunteer in the army". Yet even for the most dangerous tasks or near suicide missions, there are always some who do volunteer.

During 1971 war with Pakistan, my regiment was to send one half of it strength (around 25 tanks) deep into a sensitive sector of the enemy, inviting on itself a major enemy reaction. There was no coming back and it was a ‘do and die’ mission. The commanding officer assembled the troops and his officers, about 400 of them and briefly spoke of the mission and the expected casualties. He touched on the soldier’s ‘dharma’ and his duty. He talked of the regimental tradition and generations of men and officers who had so loyally served the regiment’s cause and were now focused on our actions at this hour of trial. He explained the essence of the regimental motto, that is, ‘Fortitude and Valour.’

With his riding crop he drew a line on the ground and asked 120 volunteers to cross over. For five or six seconds nothing happened. An eternity seems to pack itself into those momentous moments. Then, in firm steps, the troops crossed that line as one body; all 400 of them. Coming back to Quaid, the attacking troops had to move at night over dangerous terrain and were to be out in the open, without shelter, for nearly 96 hours in that bitter cold.

Ropes fixed by the earlier patrol could not be located due to heavy snowfall but daylight attempt revealed these. As the assaulting troops climbed to the top, enemy opened fire and the troops had to fall back to spend another day in the open.

Next a JCO and six soldiers inched forward towards ‘Quaid.’ and attacked with grenades and small arms. In the process, some soldiers were killed and the radio operator rolled down on the enemy side of the mountain. The attack had come to a halt.

Then another party led by junior commissioned officer Bana Singh, moving along a different and dangerous route closed in and threw grenades at ‘Quaid’. Some Pakistanis ran out of the bunker and attacked them.

There followed hand-to-hand fighting along slippery slopes. Some were bayoneted and in this melee, a few from both sides slipped and fell a few 100 feet to their death. Bana Singh and his remaining men took the post and cut the ropes to Quaid used by Pakistani troops to maintain the post. Quaid was finally in Indian hands. The bodies of the Indian officer and his patrol were recovered. The captured post was named, ‘Bana;’ after Naib Subedar Bana Singh who led the final assault. He was later awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the highest gallantry award of the mission.

While the war at Siachen, hopefully ends soon, the great deeds of valour, heroism and the stories of triumph of the human spirit over impossible odds, will be recounted for a long time.

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