Back বাইলাফন্ড গিরিবর্ত্ম Bengali/Bangla Bilafond La CEB Bilafond La German बिलाफोंड ला Hindi Bilafond La SIMPLE பிலாபாண்ட் லா கணவாய் Tamil బిలాఫోండ్ లా Tegulu بیلافونڈ لا Urdu

Bilafond La

Bilafond La
Bilafond La is located in Gilgit Baltistan
Bilafond La
Location in Gilgit-Baltistan
Bilafond La is located in Pakistan
Bilafond La
Bilafond La (Pakistan)
Elevation5,450 m (17,881 ft)
LocationIndia, Siachen Glacier, Karakoram range, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan[1][2]
RangeEastern Karakoram Range
Coordinates35°23′N 76°57′E / 35.383°N 76.950°E / 35.383; 76.950
Map
Indo-Pakistani mutually-agreed undisputed "International Border" (IB) in the black line, Indo-Pakistani "Line of Control" (LoC) in black dotted line in the north and west, Indo-Sino "Line of Actual" (LAC) in black dotted line in the east, Indo-Pakistani line across Siachen in north is "Actual Ground Position Line" (AGPL). The areas shown in green are the two Pakistani-controlled areas: Gilgit–Baltistan in the north and Azad Kashmir in the south. The area shown in orange is the Indian-controlled territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, and the diagonally-hatched area to the east is the Chinese-controlled area known as Aksai Chin. "Territories ceded by Pakistan to China claimed by India" in the north is Shaksgam (Trans-Karakoram Tract).
United Nations map of Siachen Glacier showing "Point NJ980420" (Point NJ9842) as starting point of "Actual Ground Position Line" (AGPL), Goma military camp of Pakistan, Nubra River valley and Siachen glaciers held by India; Bilafond La and Sia La north of NJ9842 are also held by India. Masherbrum Range, Baltoro Glacier, Baltoro Glacier, Baltoro Muztagh and K2 are held by Pakistan.

Bilafond La (meaning "Pass of the Butterflies" in Balti language), also known as the Saltoro Pass, is a mountain pass situated on Saltoro Ridge, sitting immediately west of the vast Siachen Glacier, some 40 km (25 mi) directly north of map point NJ 980420 which defined the end of the 1972 Line of Control between Pakistan and India as part of the Simla Agreement. Bilafond La is on the ancient Silk Route linking the Indian Subcontinent and China.[3]

The Saltoro Mountains Range, of which western slopes are held by Pakistan and separated by the Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) the higher peaks and passes are held by India all of which remain snowbound throughout the year, provides access to Siachen Glacier to its east through five passes, i.e., listed from south to north are Chulung La (5,800m), Yarma La (6,100m), Gyong La (5,640m), Bilafond La (6,160m) - also called Saltoro La, and Sia La (7,300m).[4] Bilafond La was a prominent feature during the 1984 start of military action in the Siachen Conflict between India and Pakistan. The Indian Army captured the pass in 1984 along with Sia La to the north and, in 1987, Gyong La to the south.[2] India currently maintains a fortified military base at Bilafond La.[5]

  1. ^ Baghel, Ravi; Nusser, Marcus (17 June 2015). "Securing the heights; The vertical dimension of the Siachen conflict between India and Pakistan in the Eastern Karakoram". Political Geography. 48. Elsevier: 31–32. doi:10.1016/j.polgeo.2015.05.001.
  2. ^ a b Wirsing, Robert (15 November 1991). Pakistan's security under Zia, 1977-1988: the policy imperatives of a peripheral Asian state. Palgrave Macmillan, 1991. ISBN 978-0-312-06067-1.
  3. ^ "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India – Opinions". Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  4. ^ Ghazanfar Ali and Hassan Akhtar Ghani, Siachen-The world's highest battlefield; Military Technology; Bonn Vol. 22, Iss. 3, (Mar 1998): S15-S17.
  5. ^ Child, Greg (1998). Thin air: encounters in the Himalayas. The Mountaineers Books, 1998. ISBN 978-0-89886-588-2.
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