Chain Of Tunnels And Railway Tracks In IIOJK.

The Radcliffe Commission on the direction of Mountbatten gave the Muslim majority tehsil Gurdaspur which was contiguous to Pakistan to India. According to Alastair Lamb in his book 'Incomplete Partition', the key to accession of Jammu and Kashmir lay through the Gurdaspur district by way of Indian rail head at Pathankot. The only link available to British India was from Rawalpindi - Murree - Muzaffarabad - Baramula - Srinagar Road that followed the Jhelum River and the Sialkot-Srinagar Road that crossed the 9,000 feet high Banihal Pass in Pir Panjal Range. However, during the war of 1948, India took the matter to the UN and a ceasefire was agreed.

The ceasefire line was renamed Line of Control (LOC) in the Simla Agreement of 1972. The borders between the two countries are known as the world's most dangerous borders which include the Line of Control (LOC), Working Boundary (WB) and International Border (IB). Similarly, China has serious border issues with India over Aksai Chin (Ladakh), IIOJK and elsewhere. On June 15, 2020 a bloody clash took place in Galwan valley killing 22 soldiers of 16 Bihar Regiment of Indian army. The Chinese PLA has captured another 1,000 square kilometers area in Eastern Ladakh close to their claim line. Several rounds of corps commanders level talks have failed and as China has made it clear that it will not go back by even an inch. With the excellent infrastructure developed by China like the G219 Highway which connects Tibet with Xingjian region and passes through Aksai Chin to hold on to all areas logistically.

India has been in a dilemma over supporting its troops deployed ahead of the Zojila Pass mainly in the Ladakh region of IIOJK. Therefore, India has started building chains of tunnels and railway tracks to connect Ladakh (IIOJK) from a strategic point of view. India is constructing 20 tunnels in Kashmir and 11 in Ladakh to ensure all weather access to the region. A tunnel which is the largest in Asia (14.5 km) is under construction which will bypass the Zojila Pass. The tunnel will connect Sonamarg with Minamarg (Drass) which will reduce travelling time between the two locations. The construction of tunnel was started in 2018 and will be completed by 2024, however it will be available to Indian army from 2023 onwards. The tunnel will provide round the year connectivity between...