Sia La is a

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...

situated on Saltoro Ridge, in Gilgit Baltistan,

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

some north-northwest of map point NJ9842 which defined the end of the 1972 Line of Control between

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and

as part of the

Simla Agreement The Simla Agreement, also spelled Shimla Agreement, was a peace treaty signed between India and Pakistan on 2 July 1972 in Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh. It followed the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, which began after India interv ...

.The fight for Siachen
/ref> Sia La sits near the Chinese border and immediately northwest of the upper part of the vast

Siachen Glacier The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range of the Himalayas, just northeast of the point NJ9842 where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan ends in northeastern Kashmir. At long, it is the longest glaci ...

, connecting that glacier to the Pakistani-controlled Kondus Glacier and valley to the west. 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

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 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 directly north of map point NJ 98042 ...

(6,160m) - also called Saltoro La, and Sia La (7,300m).Ghazanfar Ali and Hassan Akhtar Ghani, Siachen-The world's highest battlefield; Military Technology; Bonn Vol. 22, Iss. 3, (Mar 1998): S15-S17.

Geopolitical issues

Sia La, as well as nearby passes

and Gyong La, saw military action starting in 1984 during Operation Meghdoot, the first military action of the

Siachen conflict The Siachen conflict, sometimes referred to as the Siachen Glacier conflict or the Siachen War, was a military conflict Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts, between India and Pakistan over the disputed Siachen Glacier region in Kashmir. The conf ...

, itself being part of larger conflict, the

Kashmir conflict The Kashmir conflict is a territorial conflict over the Kashmir region, primarily between India and Pakistan, and also between China and India in the northeastern portion of the region. The conflict started after the partition of India in 1 ...

. Pakistan controls a pass just to the west that overlooks Sia La, named Conway Saddle which has Pakistan Army's Leghari Observation Post (Leghari OP) on the Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL).

References

Citations

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External links

Siachen Peace Park
{{Ladakh Mountain passes of Ladakh Mountain passes of India Mountain passes of the Himalayas Mountain passes of the Karakoram Siachen Glacier

Geopolitical issues

See also

References

Citations

External links