NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 21: Within a fortnight of taking charge, Army chief S Padmanabhan has shifted the commander of the sensitive Siachen Brigade before the completion of his tenure. According to sources, the officer was shifted due to increased Pakistani movement in the glacier area to which the Brigade's response was not found to be satisfactory. India and Pakistan have been exchanging fire along the glacier.Brigadier A.K.Duggal, Deputy General Officer Commanding of the Trishul Division, has taken over charge of the Siachen Brigade and security has been strengthened. The Siachen commander has been shifted to the Eastern Command.``The Military Secretary's (MS) Branch will monitor the performance of commanders in the forward operational areas and evaluate it,'' according to an official. Despite repeated attempts, the MS, Lieutenant General Inder Varma, remained unavailable for comment. And the officiating MS, Major General Hari Prasad, chose not to comment on the Brigade Commander's sudden transfer. ``Anyway I deal with transfers of colonels and below,'' he said.The commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps, Lieutenant General Arjun Ray, is said to have set ``demanding standards'' and asked other commanders under his Corps to ``pull up their socks'' on security of the Line of Control (LoC) and the actual ground position line (AGPL) and training and welfare of soldiers in the harsh terrain cut off from the country for almost six months. The crucial Kargil, Drass, Batalik and areas bordering China in Ladakh fall under this Corps.The Army headquarters in Delhi and the Military Secretary's Branch did not give details about the reasons for the transfer, saying it was the ``Army's internal matter''. However, a military spokesman confirmed that the commander had been shifted before the completion of his tenure.Post-Kargil the Siachen sector has witnessed an increased exchange of fire. More soldiers have now been deployed at higher altitudes. ``The three month-long tenures on extreme high altitudes are tough and commanders are supposed to devise ways to make the tenure as comfortable as possible, apart from choosing crucial heights for deployment for better observation of enemy area and capabilities to hold the area,'' sources said.The Army which moved in to occupy the Siachen glacier in 1984 is now deployed along the Soltoro Ridge. ``The problems for the Indian Army are more than the Pakistani army since we occupy the entire glacier and are deployed on the ridges beyond. So we have to cross the entire glacier and then reach the ridges. They are occupying some parts of the southern glacier and select pockets in the central and northern glacier. Their deployment is scarce and they enjoy the advantage of a road network reaching up to some bases. We cannot construct a road on the glacier and depend on helicopters or simply walk,'' he added. Pak troops build-upNEW DELHI: India is keeping a close watch all along the international border (IB) following reports of a heavy troop build-up by Pakistan, a Defence Ministry spokesman said.``We are trying to verify these reports,'' the spokesman said when asked to comment on Pakistani media reports that nine army divisions had been moved to the IB - from Marala to Rann of Kutch - for a massive exercise. This movement has been described as ``unusual'' by the media. - PTI
