Point 5240

Point 5240
Point 5245
Highest point
Elevation5,240 m (17,190 ft)
Geography
LocationLine of Control, Ladakh, Kashmir
Parent rangeHimalayas

Point 5240 (also called Point 5245) is a mountain peak situated on the Line of Control, the de facto border dividing the Indian- and Pakistani-administered portions of Ladakh in the Dras sector of Kargil district.[1][2][3] It lies southeast of Point 5353,[4] at the end of the ridgeline, on the LoC, coming from Point 5105, one kilometre east of a feature known as Rocky Knob,[2][3] about 800 metres away from the base of Point 5140.[5]

Following the end of the Kargil War, the Indian and Pakistani local military commanders agreed to a plan to vacate Point 5240, along with two other mountains nearby — namely, Point 5353 and Point 5165 — all on the LoC.[1][4] However, in late October 1999, units of 8 Mountain Division of the Indian Army captured Point 5240.[1] They subsequently captured Point 5165 as well apparently to forestall their capture by Pakistanis.[1] Thus, Point 5240 continues to be under Indian control.

Point 5240 provides "good" observation of the Pakistani supply route for Point 5353, according to the Indian defence ministry.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Mehta, Gen Ashok K. (13 July 2014). "Point 5353 still in Pakistan's possession: India's Kargil agenda is incomplete". The Tribune. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  2. ^ a b Singh, Amarinder (2001). A Ridge Too Far: War in the Kargil Heights 1999. Motibagh Palace. pp. 158, 164. ISBN 9788193107416.
  3. ^ a b Nath, Rajendra (2003). Musharraf's War. Lancers Books. p. 161.
  4. ^ a b Puri, Mohinder (2015). Kargil: Turning the Tide. Lancer Publishers LLC. p. 130. ISBN 9781940988238.
  5. ^ Malik, V. P. (2010). Kargil from Surprise to Victory. HarperCollins. p. 163. ISBN 9789350293133.
  6. ^ B. L. Kak, Pakistan Troops Pose Threat To Dras-Kargil Highway, Daily Excelsior, 29 August 2000.