Against All Odds

How raw courage turned Quaid post on Siachen to Bana Post. An extract

Ajay Singh

In April 1984, Indian troops beat Pakistani soldiers by just four days to occupy positions on the Siachen glacier... This set of a series of Pakistani attacks to evict them. When they failed, they too occupied a series of posts on the heights. The occupation of posts on heights to dominate the other was a strategy followed by both nations in this two-decade-long war.

One of the lynchpins of the Pakistani positions was the Quaid Post—named after Quaid-e-Azam, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the father of their nation. At 22,153 feet, it was the highest peak in the area, which enabled them to see 80 kilometers away, across the entire Siachen glacier. From here, they could also observe the important Indian positions on Sonam and Amar posts adjoining the Bilafond La pass, and bring down fire on the helipads used to resupply them. Held by elite troops of the Shaheen Company of 3 Special Service Group, it was commanded by Subedar Atauallah Mohammed with a squad of around 15-20 men and considered virtually impregnable.

Occupying the remote height was a difficult proposition, but the Pakistani held on to it doggedly, using its heights to advantage. On 18 April 1987, Pakistani troops from Quaid fired at the Indian Sonam Post killing two soldiers. It was then that the Indians decided to capture the post and eliminate the threat once and for all. 8 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, a unit recently inducted into the area, was selected for the task.

On 29 May, a 13-man patrol under young Second Lieutenant Rajiv Pande was sent to discover the best approach to Quaid post. The ‘best approach’ was a misnomer. The post was surrounded by ice walls with gradients of 80-85 degrees on three sides, with the fourth side covered by the Pakistanis. The young officer and his men reconnoitred the route marking it with crampons and ropes. They began climbing up the 85-degree ice wall, establishing pitons in the ice that would provide footholds for the subsequent assaults. They also passed a rope through the coupling links which could be used to climb up for a subsequent assault. As they climbed up the 500-meter-high ice wall, they were detected just 30 meters from the top. A Pakistani machine gun opened up, and raked the small team with fire, killing ten soldi