Pir Panjal valley

General Studies Paper 1

Militant activity has claimed more casualties in the Pir Panjal valley than in the Kashmir valley this year.

• Militants are changing tack in the Pir Panjal valley to outsmart the security agencies and survive longer in a region with topography as tough as Afghanistan’s mountains.
• The valley comprises the twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch, and includes 225 km of the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).
• The questioning of residents living in and around has thrown a light on the new modus operandi used by militants after infiltrating into the jungles of the Pir Panjal valley.
• It is not just the spike in militant activities in Rajouri-Poonch that is a cause of concern among security agencies, but also thechange in strategy, the use of “smarter” sleeper cells, the impenetrable means of communication, the use of technology, and the high level of training that militants are being given to fight and survive in hostile forests.

Pir Panjal valley

• The Pir Panjal is a sub-Range of Himalayas and it runs from the Neelam River in J&K all the way to the Beas River in Kullu in Himachal Pradesh extending into Pakistan.
• Near the bank of the Satluj river, it dissociates itself from the Himalayas and forms a divide between the rivers Beas and Ravi on one side and the Chenab on the other.
• On the eastern side of Pir Panjal range is the famous Rohtang pass which connects two districts of Himachal Pradesh namely Kullu & Lahaul and Spiti.
  • This pass is a gateway for the people of Lahaul Valley who wants to go to Kullu or other parts of Himachal.
• Easternmost and highest point of this range is  Indrasan is located in Manali, Kullu, Himachal Pradesh.
• Highest Pass in Pir Panjal range is Kugti Pass which connects Bharmour area of Chamba to Lahaul Valley of Lahaul-Spiti district, Himachal Pradesh.