As new Defence Minister, Rajnath to visit Siachen today with Army chief

New Delhi: Less than 48 hours after taking over as India’s new Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh on Monday will visit the Siachen glacier and interact with soldiers deployed in the region.

Defence Minister's office tweeted: “During his visit he will interact with jawans at a forward post and pay his tributes to fallen soldiers at Siachen War Memorial. He will also interact with the jawans at the Siachen base camp.”

"Leaving New Delhi for Ladakh on a day long visit to Jammu and Kashmir. Looking forward to interact with the troops in Siachen. Later in the day, I would be meeting the Indian Army personnel in Srinagar," Singh tweeted on Monday.

Army chief General Bipin Rawat will accompany Singh who was on Saturday briefed by top officials on the functioning of the ministry.

General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Northern Command Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh and Kargil war hero Lieutenant General YK Joshi are expected to brief Singh about the security situation in the region, news agency ANI reported.

The glacier acts as a wedge between the Shaksgam valley under China’s control and Baltistan, which is occupied by Pakistan.

The Army has been posted at Siachen Glacier since 1984 when India carried out Operation Meghdoot to push back Pakistani forces and took the peak.

Singh’s predecessors, Nirmala Sitharam and Manohar Parrikar, also visited the glacier to understand the challenges Indian soldiers face.