| Point 5353 | |
|---|---|
  Point 5353 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 5,353 m (17,562 ft) |
| Coordinates | 34°31′32″N 75°41′55″E / 34.52567°N 75.69866°E |
| Geography | |
| Location | Line of Control, Kashmir |
| Countries | Pakistan |
| States | Gilgit-Baltistan |
| Regions | Skardu District |
| Parent range | Himalayas |
Point 5353 (also called Point 17561, and Marpo La Peak[1]) is in Pakistani-administered portions of Kashmir in the vicinity of Dras in the Kargil district.[2][3][4] It is the highest peak along the Marpo La ridge and dominates the entire area on both the sides of the Line of Control.[5][6][7][8][9]
The peak became a subject of controversy after the Kargil War. Soon after the war had ended The Hindu correspondent Praveen Swami and an Indian opposition party leader, Ram Kumar Anand claimed that the peak was inside the Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC) and it was captured by the Pakistan Army during the Kargil War. They also claimed that the Indian troops had unsuccessfully tried to recapture Point 5353 on 18 May 1999.
The Pakistani military has held possession of Point 5353 from the time of the war.[10]
- ^ Singh, A Ridge Too Far 2001, p. 87
- ^ Ganguly, Sumit (2016), Deadly Impasse, Cambridge University Press, p. 137, ISBN 978-0-521-76361-5: Description of the 1949 Cease-Fire Line: "... thence to MARPO LA (to be shared by both sides), thence through Point 17561 [Point 5353], thence through Point 17352 [Point 5289], thence through Point 18400 [Point 5608], thence through Point 16760, thence to (inclusive to India) DALUNANG."
- ^ Ludra, The Kargil Strike 2000, p. 359: "In fact the Line of Control runs from Marpo La Pass which is not inclusive to either side, along the ridge line to Point 5353."
- ^ Point 5353 controversy rears its head again, The Tribune, 28 August 2002: A single page denial issued by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said, “as far as Point 5353 is concerned, it is a Point on the Line of Control (LoC) as delineated after Simla Agreement. This has been authenticated on a map by Lt. Gen P.S. Bhagat of India and Lt. Gen Abdul Hamid Khan of Pakistan on a map on December 11, 1972”.
- ^ Ludra, The Kargil Strike 2000, p. 359: Point 5353 dominates the Eastern Shoulder of the Pass, and since it is the highest point in that area it could be called the dominating feature. It dominates, by observation and fire, the complete area on both side of the Line of Control.
- ^ Point 5353 controversy rears its head again, The Tribune, 28 August 2002: The denial prompted by the media reports ... conveniently overlooked the factor that the most dominating feature on the Indo-Pak border in the Kargil region - Point 5353 - is under the Pakistani army control.
- ^ Gen Ashok K. Mehta, Point 5353 still in Pakistan’s possession, The Tribune (Chandigarh), 13 June 2004: Point 5353 is the summit of pinnacles on the watershed in the Dras sector. ... Its colossal domination of the Dras Bowl and Sandow valley was achieved by the Pakistan Army, cleverly using the two south-facing ridge lines emanating from it and paralysing the movement in Dras.
- ^ Puri, Lt Gen Mohinder (2015), Kargil: Turning the Tide, Lancer Publishers LLC, ISBN 978-1-940988-23-8: The entire Drass Sector including Mushkoh is dominated by a series of heights along the Marpola Ridge which emanates from Faranshat village in POK. Point 5353, a prominent height on this ridge overlooks both the Mushkoh-Drass Valleys and NH 1D, and dominates the approach to POK.
- ^ Chandar, Col Y Udaya (2018), Independent India's All the Seven Wars, Notion Press, p. 536, ISBN 978-1-948473-22-4: Pt 5353 is the highest peak in this area (16500 feet). It is the most dominating feature in Dras Valley, and is on a confluence of number of spurs and overlooks the long stretch of Srinagar-Leh highway.
- ^ "Why Point 5353 in Kargil Continues to be occupied by Pakistan". The Print. 23 July 2018.