Custom Search

Kargil

Kargil was a a part of Gilgit-Baltistan before 1947, but now is a town in the Indian controled Kashmir. Kargil lies on the line of control facing Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Kargil is the only Muslim majority district in the Ladakh subdivision. Kargil is nestled in the Himalayas giving it a cool temperate climate. Summers are cool with frigid nights while winters are long and cold with temperatures often dropping to -40°C. A national highway connecting Srinagar to Leh, cuts through Kargil.

In late May 1999, Islamic guerrillas covertly backed by Pakistan squatted on vantage heights in Indian controlled region. This led to mobilisation of Indian troops to forcibly evict them. The Indian Air Force used laser guided bombs to annihilate the well entrenched positions of the terrorists. The Indian army fought and won valiant victories against considerable odds retaking most of the heights.

See also: Kargil War

External links

• Pakistan's Northern Areas dilemma (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1491179.stm) (BBC)
• Northern Areas Development Gateway (http://www.northernareas.org.pk)
• Pakistan's Northern Areas (http://paknews.com/articles.php?id=1&date1=2003-04-17)
• Northern Pakistan's Karakoram & Hindukush Mountains (http://www.monitor.net/~jmko/karakoram/about-kh.htm)
• The Mountain Areas Conservancy Project (http://www.macp-pk.org/home.asp)
• Gilgit Map (http://www.geocities.com/johnmap2001/kkh/maps/gilgit.html)

Custom Search

This article uses material from Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.