Terrain Analysis of Jammu & Kashmir

General

1.         The terrain in Jammu and Kashmir is almost entirely mountainous. With the

 low hills in the southern region of Jammu, the land gradually rises until it reaches the inaccessible and snow bound Karakoram Rangesbordering Tibet. There is a small portion of Jammuwhich is akin to the plains of Punjab. However during 1947-48 this area did not witness significant military activity. A map of the region is attached as Appendix A.

2.         The state of Jammu and Kashmir can be divided into three geographical regions as under :-

(a)       The Northern Region.       This is the area of Gilgit, Bunji, Skardu, Kargil and Ladakh and is situated between the Karakoram Ranges in the North and the Zoji La range, a part of the outer Himalayan Ranges, in the South. This area is akin to Tibetand is drained by the River Indus.  It enters this territory from the East, runs throughout its length and makes its exit from the south west  into the North West Frontier Province.   While the Gilgit area to the West was occupied by predominantly Muslim population, the Buddhists formed the majority of the population East of Kargil.

(b)       The Kashmir Valley.          The heartland of the state, the Kashmirvalley is flanked by the Himalayan ranges in the North and the Pir Panjal ranges to its South. It is drained by two prominent rivers, namely the Jhelum and the Kishanganga.   The Jhelumpasses through Wular Lake, the largest of  the lakes in Kashmirwhich runs 19 kms in length and 8 km in width.   The town of Srinagarlies along both the banks of the Jhelum river.

(c)        The Southern Region.      This region comprises of the hills South of the Pir Panjal ranges. It is drained by the upper reaches of the River Chenab. The hills gradually rise from the plains of Jammu and Akhnur and are interspersed with numerous rivers and nullahs.   Towards the East of the region, around Jammu, the people were mostly  Hindus and were called Dogras. To the West, they had largely converted to Islam and were known as Chibs around Bhimbar and Mirpur. They were called Sudhans in the area of Poonch.