Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad has lost the heroic battle against the snows of Siachen, indeed “an entire mountain of rock-solid snow” in the world&’s highest battlefield. In death, he and the nine troops who perished in the massive avalanche personify the intrinsically mortal implications of serving in icy terrain where they have to withstand temperatures of minus 45C.

Withstand they did till the avalanche struck a week ago. Koppad&’s rescue after six days was providential in itself, verily a “miracle” as the military brass described the operation after his admission to the Army&’s Research & Referral Hospital in Delhi. Overwhelming, however, were the intimations of mortality; the “miracle” was cut short on Thursday morning. The fallen soldiers, the military&’s rescue team – not to forget the sniffer dogs – richly deserve a collective salute of the nation. This would be a profound tribute considering the enormity of the tragedy that has struck the families.

Nature has been at its cruellest and any obituary reference must acknowledge that Koppad and the others have lost the battle against glaciers. It was a round-the-year battle that they fought not necessarily against the enemy, but with a supreme objective – to ensure that the rest of us can live in peace.

Altogether, they eminently deserve to be featured in the War Memorial, if and when it comes up in Delhi. A firm decision on a tribute – etched in stone – has somehow eluded successive dispensations.

The heart-rending deaths have once again thrown up the larger issue of Siachen per se. The struggle between India and Pakistan for the mastery of the glacier – where “not a blade of grass grows”, as Gen Zia-ul-Haq had once described it – has taken its toll in terms of human life on either side of the Line of Control. And yet there has been no lowering of the guard. Each of the two nuclear-armed countries are said to have deployed around 3,000 troops in Siachen&’s inhospitable terrain. With the soldiers virtually frozen in their units, the region has been generally free from combat.

Yet both countries have suffered amidst the deadlock. Going by official data, an estimated 900 Indian troops have died due to exposure to the elements since the area became a theatre of competitive military operations in 1984. Pakistan lost 129 of its troops when an avalanche struck the glacier in 2012.

Verily, Siachen has been at the centre of a war of nerves, no less insidious than a clash of shields. Far too many have perished against Nature&’s onslaught. Arguably, both India and Pakistan must reflect on demilitarisation. But will the Rawalpindi GHQ concur with Nawaz Sharif&’s suggestion on mutual withdrawal? Unlikely.