Point 5240 (also called Point 5245) is a mountain peak situated on the

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 ...

, the ''

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

'' border dividing the Indian- and Pakistani-administered portions of Ladakh in the

Dras Dras (also spelt Drass, ISO transliteration: '), also known locally in Shina as Himababs, Hembabs, or Humas, is a town and hill station, near Kargil city in the Kargil district of the union territory of Ladakh in India. It is on the Nationa ...

sector of Kargil district. It lies southeast of

Point 5353 Point 5353 (also called Point 17561, and Marpo La Peak) is a mountain peak on the Line of Control dividing the Indian- and Pakistani-administered portions of Kashmir in the vicinity of Dras in the Kargil district.: Description of the 1949 ...

, at the end of the

ridgeline A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geographical feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for an extended distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from the narrow top on either side. The line ...

, on the LoC, coming from Point 5105, one kilometre east of a feature known as Rocky Knob, about 800 metres away from the base of Point 5140. Following the end of the

Kargil War The Kargil War, also known as the Kargil conflict, was fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control (LoC). In India, the conflict is also referr ...

, the Indian and Pakistani local military commanders agreed to a plan to vacate Point 5240, along with two other mountains nearby — namely, Point 5353 and Point 5165 — all on the LoC. However, in late October 1999, units of 8 Mountain Division of the Indian Army captured Point 5240. They subsequently captured Point 5165 as well apparently to forestall their capture by Pakistanis. Thus, Point 5240 continues to be under Indian control. Point 5240 provides "good" observation of the Pakistani supply route for Point 5353, according to the Indian defence ministry.B. L. Kak
Pakistan Troops Pose Threat To Dras-Kargil Highway
Daily Excelsior, 29 August 2000.

References

{{coord missing, Ladakh India–Pakistan border Mountains of Ladakh Five-thousanders of the Himalayas Kargil War