Bilafond La (meaning "Pass of the Butterflies" in
Balti language
Balti (Nastaʿlīq script: , Tibetan script: སྦལ་ཏི།, ) is a Tibetic language natively spoken by the ethnic Balti people in the Baltistan region of Gilgit−Baltistan, Pakistan, Nubra Valley of the Leh district and in the Karg ...
, also known as the Saltoro Pass, is a
mountain pass
A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human a ...
situated on
Saltoro Ridge
The Saltoro Mountains are a subrange of the Karakoram Range. They are located in the southeast Karakoram on the southwest side of the Siachen Glacier, one of the two longest glaciers outside the polar regions. The name given to this range is sh ...
, sitting immediately west of the vast
Siachen Glacier
The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas at about , just northeast of the point NJ9842 where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan ends. At long, it is the longest glacier in the Kar ...
, some directly north of map point NJ 980420 which defined the end of the 1972 Line of Control between
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
and
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
as part of the
Simla Agreement
The Simla Agreement, also spelled Shimla Agreement, was a peace treaty signed between India and Pakistan on 2 July 1972 in Shimla, the capital city of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It followed the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, which ...
. Bilafond La is on the ancient Silk Route linking the Indian Subcontinent and China.
Bilafond La was a prominent feature during the 1984 start of military action in the
Siachen Conflict
The Siachen conflict, sometimes referred to as the Siachen Glacier conflict or the Siachen War, was a military conflict between India and Pakistan over the disputed Siachen Glacier region in Kashmir. The conflict was started in 1984 by India' ...
between India and Pakistan. The
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
captured the pass in 1984 along with
Sia La
Sia La is a mountain pass situated on Saltoro Ridge, in Ladakh, India, some north-northwest of map point NJ9842 which defined the end of the 1972 Line of Control between India and Pakistan as part of the Simla Agreement. Sia La sits near t ...
to the north and, in 1987,
Gyong La
Gyong La is a mountain pass situated on Saltoro Ridge southwest of the vast Siachen Glacier, some directly north of map point NJ9842 which defined the end of the 1972 Line of Control between India and Pakistan. With Pakistan controlling areas j ...
to the south.
India currently maintains a fortified military base at Bilafond La.
Geopolitical issues
Bilafond Pass, as well as nearby passes
Sia La
Sia La is a mountain pass situated on Saltoro Ridge, in Ladakh, India, some north-northwest of map point NJ9842 which defined the end of the 1972 Line of Control between India and Pakistan as part of the Simla Agreement. Sia La sits near t ...
and
Gyong La
Gyong La is a mountain pass situated on Saltoro Ridge southwest of the vast Siachen Glacier, some directly north of map point NJ9842 which defined the end of the 1972 Line of Control between India and Pakistan. With Pakistan controlling areas j ...
, were scenes of military activity starting in 1984 during
Operation Meghdoot
Operation Meghdoot ( "Operation Cloud Messenger" after a famous Sanskrit poem by Kalidasa) was the codename for the Indian Armed Forces' operation to seize control of the Siachen Glacier in Kashmir, precipitating the Siachen conflict. E ...
, part of the
Siachen Conflict
The Siachen conflict, sometimes referred to as the Siachen Glacier conflict or the Siachen War, was a military conflict between India and Pakistan over the disputed Siachen Glacier region in Kashmir. The conflict was started in 1984 by India' ...
, itself being part of the larger
Kashmir Conflict
The Kashmir conflict is a territorial conflict over the Kashmir region, primarily between India and Pakistan, with China playing a third-party role. The conflict started after the partition of India in 1947 as both India and Pakistan claim ...
.
Due to the strategic location of the pass west of the
Siachen Glacier
The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas at about , just northeast of the point NJ9842 where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan ends. At long, it is the longest glacier in the Kar ...
and near the current
Actual Ground Position Line
The Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) divides current positions of Indian and Pakistani military posts and troops across the entire long front line in the disputed region of Siachen Glacier. AGPL generally runs along the Saltoro Mountains ran ...
between India and Pakistan, the
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
maintains a presence to defend their position.
[See http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2304/stories/20060310001704400.htm for a detailed, current map.]
See also
; Near the AGPL (Actual Ground Position Line)
*
NJ9842
NJ9842, also called NJ 980420 (in full: NJ 38 98000, 13 42000, yard based Indian Grid Coordinates), is the northernmost demarcated point of the India-Pakistan cease fire line in Kashmir known as the Line of Control (LoC). The India–Pakistan ...
, LoC ends and AGPL begins
*
Gyong La
Gyong La is a mountain pass situated on Saltoro Ridge southwest of the vast Siachen Glacier, some directly north of map point NJ9842 which defined the end of the 1972 Line of Control between India and Pakistan. With Pakistan controlling areas j ...
*
Chumik Glacier
Chumik Glacier is located in the Siachen Glacier, Siachen region. Located on the west of Saltoro, Saltoro ridge, it is a 4-mile-long offshoot of the Bilafond Glacier.
History
In military terminology, Chumik is a minor sub sector of Bilaf ...
*
Saltoro Mountains
The Saltoro Mountains are a subrange of the Karakoram Range. They are located in the southeast Karakoram on the southwest side of the Siachen Glacier, one of the two longest glaciers outside the polar regions. The name given to this range is sha ...
*
Saltoro Kangri
Saltoro Kangri, formerly known as Peak 36, is the highest peak of the Saltoro Mountains subrange of Karakoram range, also known as the Saltoro Range, which is a part of the Karakoram. Saltoro Kangri is a name generally used for the twin peaks, Sa ...
*
Ghent Kangri
Ghent Kangri (or Mount Ghent, Ghaint I) is a high peak near the north end of the Saltoro Mountains, a subrange of the Karakoram range. It is located west of the Siachen Glacier near the Actual Ground Position Line between India and Pakistan.
Gh ...
*
Sia La
Sia La is a mountain pass situated on Saltoro Ridge, in Ladakh, India, some north-northwest of map point NJ9842 which defined the end of the 1972 Line of Control between India and Pakistan as part of the Simla Agreement. Sia La sits near t ...
*
Indira Col
, other_name = Indira Col West, Main Indira Col
, photo =
, photo_caption =
, elevation_m = 5764
, elevation_ref =
, traversed =
, location = On the border between Chinese-controlled Trans-Karakoram Tract and Indian-controlled Siachen G ...
; Borders
*
Actual Ground Position Line
The Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) divides current positions of Indian and Pakistani military posts and troops across the entire long front line in the disputed region of Siachen Glacier. AGPL generally runs along the Saltoro Mountains ran ...
(AGPL)
*
India–Pakistan International Border {IB)
*
Line of Control
The Line of Control (LoC) is a military control line between the Indian and Pakistanicontrolled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir—a line which does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary, but serve ...
{LoC)
*
Line of Actual Control
The Line of Actual Control (LAC), in the context of the Sino-Indian border dispute, is a notional demarcation lineAnanth KrishnanLine of Actual Control , India-China: the line of actual contest, 13 June 2020: "In contrast, the alignment o ...
(LAC)
*
Sir Creek
Sir Creek ( ), originally Ban Ganga, is a 96-km (60-mi) tidal estuary in the uninhabited marshlands of the Indus River Delta on the border between India and Pakistan. The creek flows into the Arabian Sea and separates Gujarat state in India fro ...
(SC)
*
Borders of China
China shares international land borders with 14 sovereign states. In addition, there is a internal border with the special administrative region of Hong Kong, which was a British dependency before 1997, and a internal border with Macau, a Portu ...
*
Borders of India
The Republic of India shares borders with several sovereign countries; it shares land borders with China, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Bangladesh and Pakistan share both land borders as well as maritime borders, while Sri Lan ...
*
Borders of Pakistan
The Geography of Pakistan ( ur, ) is a profound blend of landscapes varying from plains to deserts, forests, and plateaus ranging from the coastal areas of the Arabian Sea in the south to the mountains of the Karakoram, Hindukush, Himalayas ...
; Conflicts
*
Kashmir conflict
The Kashmir conflict is a territorial conflict over the Kashmir region, primarily between India and Pakistan, with China playing a third-party role. The conflict started after the partition of India in 1947 as both India and Pakistan claim ...
*
Siachen conflict
The Siachen conflict, sometimes referred to as the Siachen Glacier conflict or the Siachen War, was a military conflict between India and Pakistan over the disputed Siachen Glacier region in Kashmir. The conflict was started in 1984 by India' ...
*
Sino-Indian conflict
*
List of disputed territories of China
*
List of disputed territories of India
There are several disputed territories of India. A territorial dispute is a disagreement over the possession or control of land between two or more states or over the possession or control of land by a new state and occupying power after it has co ...
*
List of disputed territories of Pakistan
*
Northern Areas
Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory, and constituting the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region which has been the subject of a dispute bet ...
*
Trans-Karakoram Tract
The Trans-Karakoram Tract (), also known as the Shaksgam Tract ( ur, , translit=Shaksgām), is an area of approximately north of the Karakoram watershed, including the Shaksgam valley. The tract is administered by China as part of its Taxkorgan ...
; Operations
*
Operation Meghdoot
Operation Meghdoot ( "Operation Cloud Messenger" after a famous Sanskrit poem by Kalidasa) was the codename for the Indian Armed Forces' operation to seize control of the Siachen Glacier in Kashmir, precipitating the Siachen conflict. E ...
, by India
*
Operation Rajiv
Operation Rajiv was the codename for an Indian Army operation that aimed to capture a high point along the Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) on the Siachen Glacier in June 1987. Prior to this operation, the area had been under the control of P ...
, by India
*
Operation Safed Sagar
Operation Safed Sagar ( hi, ऑपरेशन सफेद सागर, lit. "Operation White Ocean") was the code name assigned to the Indian Air Force's role in acting jointly with the Indian Army during the 1999 Kargil war that was aim ...
, by India
; Other related topics
*
Awards and decorations of the Indian Armed Forces
*
Bana Singh
Captain Bana Singh (born 6 January 1949) is an Indian soldier and a recipient of the nation's highest gallantry award, the Param Vir Chakra. As a Naib Subedar in the Indian Army, he led the team that wrested control of the highest peak on th ...
, after whom Quaid Post was renamed to Bana Top
*
Dafdar
Dafdar or Davdar or Daftar or via Mandarin Chinese as Dabuda'er, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (), is a township in the Taghdumbash Pamir located in Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County, Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang Uyghu ...
, westernmost town in Trans-Karakoram Tract
*
India-China Border Roads
India-China Border Roads (ICBRs, ICB Roads) is a Government of India project for developing infrastructure along the Sino-Indian border by constructing strategic roads, including bridges and tunnels. The ICBR project is largely in response to C ...
*
List of extreme points of India
The extreme points of India include the coordinates that are further north, south, east or west than any other location in India; and the highest and the lowest altitudes in the country. The northernmost point claimed by India is in territory disp ...
*
Sino-Pakistan Agreement
The Sino-Pakistan Agreement is a 1963 document between the governments of Pakistan and China establishing the border between those countries in the disputed Kashmir region.
It resulted in both countries ceding over to the other. Pakistan r ...
for transfer of Trans-Karakoram Tract to China
Notes
References
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External links
Siachen Peace Park
Mountain passes of Ladakh
Mountain passes of India
Mountain passes of the Himalayas
Mountain passes of the Karakoram
{{India-geo-stub