SIACHEN GLACIER

The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas, just northeast of the point where the line of control between India and Pakistan ends. It is the longest glacier in the Karakoram and second-longest in the world’s non-polar regions. It falls from an altitude of 18,875 feet above sea level down to 11,875 feet above sea level at its terminus. The glacier’s region is the highest battleground on Earth, where Pakistan and India have fought intermittently since April 1984. A cease-fire went into effect in 2003. Even before then, more soldiers were killed every year due to severe weather conditions than enemy fire. India built the world’s highest helipad on the glacier at Point Sonam, 21,000 feet above sea level, to supply its troops. India’s Sonam post is the highest permanently manned post in the world. In 1997, the Indian army established an STD-PCO (subscriber trunk dialing-public call office) to enable soldiers stationed on the glacier to call home. From 1997 until it was replaced by cell service in 2009, it was the world’s highest public telephone booth.

HELIPAD AT SONAM POST ON SIACHEN GLACIER