Siachen glacier : The glacier is 72 km in length and 2 to 8 km wide located in Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir. Glacier has a wind velocity of 300 kmph and a night temperature of minus 50 C. Lowest temperature recorded is minus 78 C. One litre drinking water at glacier base camp costs Rs 2500 !.

Taking the advantage of the incomplete delineation of the Line Of Control (LOC) under the Simla agreement of 1972, which stopped at grid reference NJ 9842 beyond which lay the Siachen glacier with northern most point namely Indira point (5800 m). On 13 th April 1984, by operation Meghdoot India occupied the glacier (Rs 3 crore expenditure per day in 1990). 97 % of the casualties are due to the extreme weather conditions.

Pakistani troops captured much of Kargil in 1947 - '48. India recovered Kargil and Zoji la in 1948 and Zanskar shortly afterwards. POK (Pak Occupied Kashmir) has 80 % of the population of Ladakh.