Bunji Bridge (or Partab Pul) is a
suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck (bridge), deck is hung below suspension wire rope, cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridg ...
on the
Indus River
The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...
near
Bunji, a town in the
Astore District
Astore District ( ur, ) is one of the 14 districts of the Pakistani-administered territory of Gilgit−Baltistan. Its administrative headquarters are located at Eidgah in the Astore Valley. The Astore District is bounded by Gilgit District to ...
of
Gilgit-Baltistan
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 ...
,
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 ...
. It was first built in the 19th century by the Maharaja
Pratap Singh's government of the princely state of
Jammu and Kashmir. Its wooden girders were burnt down during the 1947
Gilgit Rebellion and subsequently repaired. It fell into disuse and neglect in recent decades. It was restored by the recently established
Government of Gilgit-Baltistan
The Government of Gilgit-Baltistan ( ur, ) is the government of the administrative territory of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Its powers and structure are set out in the 2009 Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-Governance Order, in which 14 ...
in 2012 after the 2010 Indus floods highlighted its value. The bridge is said to serve as a vital link between the town of
Gilgit
Gilgit (; Shina: ; ur, ) is the capital city of Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan. The city is located in a broad valley near the confluence of the Gilgit River and the Hunza River. It is a major tourist destination in Pakistan, serving as a h ...
and the locations in the Astore District.
[
]
History
Construction
Bunji, part of the Astore district
Astore District ( ur, ) is one of the 14 districts of the Pakistani-administered territory of Gilgit−Baltistan. Its administrative headquarters are located at Eidgah in the Astore Valley. The Astore District is bounded by Gilgit District to ...
, is on the left bank of the Indus River as it flows south. The Gilgit district
The Gilgit District ( ur, ) is one of the 14 districts of Pakistan-administered territory of Gilgit-Baltistan. The headquarters of the district is the town of Gilgit. According to the 1998 census, the Gilgit District had a population of 243,3 ...
is on the right bank of Indus.
Prior to 1891, there was only a ferry service to cross the Indus, which ran between Bunji and Jaglot
Juglot or Jaglot (formerly Sai) is a town located in the Gilgit District of Gilgit−Baltistan, Pakistan. It is situated southeast of the capital city of Gilgit on the Karakoram Highway. The town is situated at the junction of three major moun ...
(then called 'Sai'). In that year, in preparation for the Hunza–Nagar Campaign
__NOTOC__
The Hunza–Nagar Campaign was fought in 1891 by troops of the British Raj against the princely states of Hunza (princely state), Hunza and Nagar (princely state), Nagar in the Gilgit Agency (now part of the Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan ...
, a flying bridge using wire rope
Steel wire rope (right hand lang lay)
Wire rope is several strands of metal wire twisted into a helix forming a composite
''rope'', in a pattern known as ''laid rope''. Larger diameter wire rope consists of multiple strands of such laid rope in a ...
was laid by Captain Aylmer of the Bengal Sappers and Miners
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
. Aylmer also established a wire-rope ferry which carried hundreds of tons of grains and military stores for the campaign.
In May–June 1893, a new suspension bridge across the Indus was constructed by the Maharaja Pratap Singh's government, along with a neighbouring Ramghat Bridge across the Astore River. Steel wire ropes for the suspension were imported from England (made by Roger Bullivant).
They were laced with wooden girders and attached to masonry abutments, designed to withstand strain of 500 pounds per foot.
The bridge was located a few miles upstream from Bunji, just below a large "knee-bend" that is the confluence of the Gilgit and Indus rivers. It was called the "Partab Bridge" in honour of Maharaja Pratap Singh. The construction was carried out by Captain J. E. Capper of the Corps of Royal Engineers.
The bridge was the only means of contacting Gilgit during the summer months when the ferry would be unsafe due to the heavy summer flows of the Indus.
1947 Gilgit Rebellion
The Pratab bridge was burnt down during the 1947 Gilgit Rebellion, on the night of 2 November 1947 by Platoon number 7 of the Chilas Scouts, in order to block the passage of the State Forces stationed at Bunji.[115-year-old freedom fighter still eager to defend motherland](_blank)
Express Tribune, 17 August 2019. Scholar Ahmad Hasan Dani
Ahmad Hassan Dani (Urdu: احمد حسن دانی) FRAS, SI, HI (20 June 1920 – 26 January 2009) was a Pakistani archaeologist, historian, and linguist. He was among the foremost authorities on Central Asian and South Asian archaeology ...
deems a local ''rajah''—Muzaffaruddin to have given the order for this action (along with the destruction of a parallel ferry route), which eventually proved to be an important event in the chronicles of the Gilgit Rebellion.
The Scouts soldier that burnt the bridge, Naqibullah, displays a certificate given by the rebel leader Captain Mirza Hassan Khan
Mirza Hassan Khan ( ur, ), of Nagar state, was a captain of the 6th Infantry of the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces. Placed at Bunji in the Gilgit ''wazarat'' (now Astore district, Gilgit-Baltistan), Khan rebelled against the Maharaja's regi ...
for his valour. However, immediately after the event, Khan believed that Major William Brown of the Gilgit Scouts
The Gilgit Scouts constituted a paramilitary force of the Gilgit Agency in northern Jammu and Kashmir. They were raised by the government of British India in 1913, on behalf of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, to police the northern front ...
had ordered the burning so as to block his own rebel forces from reaching Bunji. Hassan Khan appointed himself as the commander-in-chief of the "Republic of Gilgit" and wanted to conquer all of the Gilgit ''wazarat'', whereas Brown was likely satisfied with liberating just the Gilgit Agency
The Gilgit Agency ( ur, ) was an agency of the British Indian Empire consisting of the subsidiary states of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir at its northern periphery, mainly with the objective of strengthening these territories agains ...
. But Khan did march into Bunji crossing the Indus by rafts, and the State Forces stationed there were neutralised by 5 November.
On 6 November 1947, a call for repairs of the bridge was dispatched to local engineers. It was not until late February 1948 that the bridge was repaired, following which the Gilgit Scouts proceeded to lay the siege of Skardu
The siege of Skardu was a prolonged military blockade carried out by the Gilgit Scouts, Chitral Scouts and Chitral State Bodyguards, acting in coordination against Jammu and Kashmir State Forces and the Indian Army in the town of Skardu, during ...
.
2000s
Since around 2000, the bridge fell into increasing neglect and disuse, in favour of a new wider bridge, which was built joining Jaglot
Juglot or Jaglot (formerly Sai) is a town located in the Gilgit District of Gilgit−Baltistan, Pakistan. It is situated southeast of the capital city of Gilgit on the Karakoram Highway. The town is situated at the junction of three major moun ...
with Bunji, along a new alignment (at coordinates ).
The new bridge was destroyed during the 2010 flooding of the Indus River. Following demands from the local populace, the Partab Bridge was restored in early 2012. The washed-away bridge is also reported to have been repaired at a cost of about Rs. 18 million. The first Chief Minister
A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...
of Gilgit-Baltistan, Syed Mehdi Shah
Syed Mehdi Shah is a Pakistan Politician who is currently Serving as the Governor of Gilgit Baltistan and Previously was the first Chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan. The post was created under Presidential Order For Govrnance 2009 for Gil ...
reopened it November 2012.
See also
* Jammu–Sialkot line
The Jammu–Sialkot line was a broad gaugeNewman's Indian Bradshaw, February 1935, Newman and Co Ltd, Calcutta, 1935, p.138 branch of the North Western State Railway from Wazirabad Junction, Punjab, to Jammu, passing through the Sialkot Jun ...
, constructed during the Maharaja Pratap Singh's reign
References
Bibliography
*
External links
* {{Citation , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=53BtBQAAQBAJ , title=Gilgit Rebelion: The Major Who Mutinied Over Partition of India , last=Brown , first=William , date=2014-11-30 , publisher=Pen and Sword , isbn=9781473841123
Bridges in Pakistan
Bridges completed in 1894
Bridges over the Indus River