Barely a week after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani premier Asif Zardari agreed on cross-LoC trade as a confidence building measure, India has kicked off its second civilian trekking expedition to the Siachen glacier.

The glacial trek, which snowballed into a major controversy when it was started last year after Pakistan lodged a protest against 'adventure tourism' in a 'disputed region', started off from Leh on Tuesday.

Close to 30 civilians — schoolchildren, DRDO scientists, mountaineering enthusiasts and media persons — are taking part in th e 21-day trek to the highest battlefield in the world. Organised by the Army Mountaineering Institute, it will involve a 40-km climb up the glacier where participants will cross heights of over 18,000 feet.

Despite vehement protests by Pakistan when the glacier was opened for civilian expeditions -- Islamabad issued a formal representation to New Delhi days before the trek started in September last year — the glacial trek has been made an annual feature.

The Army, which mooted the idea of civilian expeditions to the region to 'reaffirm India's claim' on the region, has made it clear that adventure tourism activities on the glacier would be made a regular feature.

While only Indian citizens have taken part in adventure activities on the glacier till now, senior officers say foreign citizens would also be invited for similar events in the near future.

“The region undisputedly belongs to us. The idea is to project the same in the international community and such activities reaffirm our position,” a senior Army officer said.

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