Pakistani troops open fire as Mulayam visits Siachen
There was a heavy exchange of fire between Indian and
Pakistani troops on the Siachen Glacier, even as Defence Minister
Mulayam Singh Yadav visited the highest battlefield in the world.
Pakistani troops began firing from the
higher reaches of the glacier even as Yadav, who was
on a two-day tour of the
Ladakh sector, addressed soldiers at a height
of 16,000 feet.
When army officers informed the minister that the
loud sound was the result of Pakistani firing
on Indian positions, Yadav asked the commanders
why they did not respond to the provocation.
As soon as Yadav returned to base camp, Indian troops
began firing from their 130 mm guns, their response resounding
through the
Nubra valley.
The firing went on even as Yadav left for
New Delhi.
The minister stayed at the forward post for more than
half an hour and inspected some other positions from a military helicopter.
The minister told reporters accompanying him that he had been
briefed by officers and jawans
about the problems they confronted on the glacier.
Lack of adequate communication facilities,Yadav said, had
been identified as the main problem.
Efforts would be made soon to have direct satellite
communication for the region, he added.
The minister ruled out any reduction in Indian troops posted
on the border as long as Pakistan did not stop training militants
and sending them into India.
Yadav said the Indian and Pakistani directors general of
military operations regularly discussed
ways and means to reduce the exchange of fire along the Line of Control.
"But it is our experience
that Pakistan has never adopted a favourable posture on this count,"
he said.
Pakistan, the minister said, indulged in unprovoked firing in the Siachen
region every day. Two days ago, he added, Pakistan troops fired randomly in the
Kargil sector.
While addressing the troops at Kargil and Siachen, the minister
assured them that they would not be disappointed with the Fifth
Pay Commission award.
He said it had also been decided to give an ex-gratia payment of Rs 750,000
to armed personnel killed in military action. This amount will
be besides the pension and insurance already available.
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