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Synopsis For the last twenty years India and Pakistan have been locked in fierce combat to gain control of the barren heights of the Siachen glacier, located in the western Himalayas. The protracted conflict has exacted a heavy toll; many brave men have been felled and, on a rough estimate, between two and three crores of rupees are being spent daily to sustain the strife. Siachen: Conflict without End is the first definitive account of the costly war that has bled both the countries. 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. Spelling out ways of conflict management and resolution, the author stresses the need for a strong political will to end the strife.