The remains of an Indian army soldier have been found more than 38 years after he went missing on a glacier at the highest point along the heavily militarized contested border between India and Pakistan in Kashmir, officials said on Wednesday.
The soldier and 17 other colleagues were occupying a ridge on Siachen Glacier, high in the Karakoram range in disputed Kashmir’s Ladakh region, in May 1984, when they were hit by an avalanche, officials said.
The bodies of 13 soldiers were recovered, but five remained missing.
A team of soldiers on Monday found human remains at the glacier with an identity disc saying they belonged to Chandra Shekhar, one of the missing men, the Indian army said.
In this photo provided by the Indian Army, an officer lays a wreath in front of the remains of Chandra Shekhar, an Indian army soldier found more than 38 years after he went missing, in Leh, India, Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022. The soldier and 17 other colleagues were occupying a ridge on Siachen Glacier, high in the Karakoram range in disputed Kashmir's Ladakh region, in May 1984 when they were hit by an avalanche, officials said. (Indian Army via AP)
Shekhar was part of India’s first army unit to occupy the 76-kilometre (47-mile) long glacier in 1984 amid pitched battles with soldiers from Pakistan, which also controls part of divided Kashmir. Both nuclear-armed neighbors claim all of the region.
The glacier, considered the world’s highest battlefield, was uninhabited before Indian troops moved there.
Since then, the two countries have deployed troops at elevations of up to 6,700 metres (21,982 feet). They have fought intermittent skirmishes on the glacier, but more Indian and Pakistani troops have died from the grueling conditions than from hostile fire.
In 2017, at least 20 Indian soldiers were killed in three avalanches. In 2012, an avalanche in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir killed 140 people, including 129 Pakistani soldiers.
Discussions between India and Pakistan on demilitarizing the glacier have been unsuccessful.
Shekhar’s remains were being flown on Wednesday to his native village in northern Uttarakhand state following a funeral with full military honors, the army said.
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My Cat Yugoslavia by Pajtim Statovci
Pushkin Press
New central waste facility on site at expo Dubai South area to handle estimated 173 tonne of waste generated daily by millions of visitors
Recyclables such as plastic, paper, glass will be collected from bins on the expo site and taken to the new expo Central Waste Facility on site
Organic waste will be processed at the new onsite Central Waste Facility, treated and converted into compost to be re-used to green the expo area
Of 173 tonnes of waste daily, an estimated 39 per cent will be recyclables, 48 per cent organic waste and 13 per cent general waste.
About 147 tonnes will be recycled and converted to new products at another existing facility in Ras Al Khor
Recycling at Ras Al Khor unit:
Plastic items to be converted to plastic bags and recycled
Paper pulp moulded products such as cup carriers, egg trays, seed pots, and food packaging trays
Glass waste into bowls, lights, candle holders, serving trays and coasters
Aim is for 85 per cent of waste from the site to be diverted from landfill
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
not be younger than 25 years old
not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
'The Sky is Everywhere'
Director:Josephine Decker
Stars:Grace Kaufman, Pico Alexander, Jacques Colimon
