The book takes a hard look at the extraordinary compulsions that have led to the impasse and explains why the glacier has become so strategically important. It traces the historical, geopolitical background to the issue and links the China-India-Pakistan interests in the area. Using his expertise as Commanding General of Siachen and Director General of Military Operations, Lt-Gen. (Retd.) V.R. Raghavan gives us a candid account of action in the 'highest battlefield in the world'. V.R. Raghavan traces the conflict from the ...
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The book takes a hard look at the extraordinary compulsions that have led to the impasse and explains why the glacier has become so strategically important. It traces the historical, geopolitical background to the issue and links the China-India-Pakistan interests in the area. Using his expertise as Commanding General of Siachen and Director General of Military Operations, Lt-Gen. (Retd.) V.R. Raghavan gives us a candid account of action in the 'highest battlefield in the world'. V.R. Raghavan traces the conflict from the seemingly innocuous mountaineering expeditions of the Pakistani military, to its abortive attempt to convert a cartographic intrusion into a military one. The glacier has witnessed some of the most ferocious battles in military history. Braving temperatures of minus 50 degrees Celsius and altitudes of 20,000 feet, soldiers have fought like men possessed to retain every inch of territory. The author takes us behind the scenes to give a detailed account of the seven rounds of talks held between India and Pakistan and shows how, at times, political compulsions prevented a breakthrough from being achieved. the need for a strong political will to end the strife. Praise for the book 'Lt-Gen. Raghavan's book traces the genesis of the centuries-old competing geopolitical interests in this region, the factors leading to and the harsh realities of the Indian Army's occupation of the Saltoro, the history of Indo-Pak engagements and the entire course of the bilateral discussions to resolve this issue. This is the first comprehensive, objective and lucid account of the confrontation in the glaciers from a person who has deep first-hand knowledge. I recommend this book as compulsory reading for all those who have serious interest in understanding Indo-Pak relations.' N.N. Vohra, Former Defence Secretary, Home Secretary and Principal Secretary to Prime Minister of India. 'General Raghavan's fascinating narrative becomes a metaphor for the larger deadlock between India and Pakistan, a contest too painful to continue, but too meaningful to end.' Michael Krepon, Founding President, The Henry L. Stimson Centre, Washington, DC. 'This book fills a longstanding void in Indian security studies. abroad, but the analyses thus far have been fragmentary, anecdotal, and unsystematic. Gen. V.R. Raghavan's Siachen: Conflict Without End is the first comprehensive treatment of what is often a mystifying high-altitude war. [The] book is required reading for all those seeking to understand both the origins and the political-military factors that have prolonged this brutal struggle in the high Himalayas.' Ashley J. Tellis, author of Stability in South Asia and India's Emerging Nuclear Posture. 8 pp colour photo insert With a Foreword by Stephen P. Cohen
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