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"Ladakh": A Disputed Region between India, Pakistan & China Since 1947
47% Muslim (Mainly Shia Muslims, 10% Sunnis), 39% Budhist, 12% Hindus
Ladakh means "land of high passes" surrounded by Himalayan mountain ranges popularly called Great Himalayas. The Pakistani Indus River / River Sindh is the backbone of Ladakh, originates from it. It contains two districts, Kargil and Leh. The largest town in Ladakh is Leh, followed by Kargil.
Ladakh is most famous for breathtaking landscapes, the crystal clear skies, the highest mountain passes, thrilling adventure activities, large Muslim residents, Buddhist Monasteries and festivals.
Ladakh is considered part of Jammu and Kashmir region but since 1800 it is a disputed area, on the border of Kashmir, Pakistan, and Tibet China on the top. Historically it is a Muslim Majority with population mainly of Shia Muslims of about 40% and 10% Sunni Muslims ratio.
The area of Ladakh is 59,146 sq km which is greater than the area of Himachal Pradesh(55,673 sq km). Ladakh lies in the eastern side of Jammu and is surrounded by the Himalayan mountain ranges popularly called Great Himalayas.
Ladakh experiences extreme type of climate where the temperature ranges from minus 35 degree Celsius in winter to 33 degree Celsius in summer.
Ladakh was an independent province since the middle of the 10th century. The ancient inhabitants of Ladakh were Dards. Immigrants of Tibet, Skardo and nearby parts like Purang, Guge settled in Ladakh, whose racial characters and cultures were in consonance with early settlers. The early religion of Ladakh wasthe people who worshipped many gods, the people also worshiped correlated with the water, earth, fire and mountains. Buddhism traveled from central India to Tibet via Ladakh leaving its imprint in Ladakh. Islamic missionaries also made a penetration of Islam in the early 16th century.
The Disputed Region of Ladakh between Pakistan, China and India
Gilgit-Baltistan and Ladakh both have Muslims with Shia Muslims domination along Sunnis. Other religions include Budhists, Hindus and other.
In addition to scrapping Article 370, the Indian Government also downgraded Jammu and Kashmir from a state to a "union territory", which means that it would now be governed by New Delhi rather than a state government.
Buddhist Ladakh was then carved off from Jammu and Kashmir, and also given the status of a union territory, much to the delight of its residents, who had long demanded separation from troubled Kashmir.
But the move unsettled China in light of its claims to parts of Ladakh.
Mr Hooda said he believed the Indian Government would only use Aksai Chin as a bargaining chip in their negotiations with China over other land disputes, importantly Arunachal Pradesh in India's north-east, which Beijing claims as its own.
He said India might give up its claim to Aksai Chin if China recognised India's official borders with China.
But Indian think tank Observer Research Foundation's Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan said China's interference in what India considered its internal matter might affect Beijing's own border disputes with India.
"For one-and-a-half years, India and China have been talking about the 'Wuhan Spirit'," Dr Rajagopalan said, referring to a 2018 informal summit between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping that is said to have reset the India-China relationship after the Doklam crisis in 2017.
Coming back to Ladakh is a region administered by India as a union territory, and constituting a part of the larger region of Kashmir, which has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. It is bordered by China (Tibet) to the east, the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh to the south, Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan to the west, and the southwest corner of Xinjiang across the Karakoram Pass in the far north. It extends from the Siachen Glacier in the Karakoram range to the north to the main Great Himalayas to the south. The eastern end of Ladakh, consisting of the uninhabited Aksai Chin plains, has been under Chinese control since 1962.[12][13] Until 2019, Ladakh was a region of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. In August 2019, the Parliament of India passed an act by which Ladakh became a union territory on 31 October 2019 which became the main bone of contention and dispute between China, Pakistan and India.
In the past Ladakh gained importance from its strategic location at the crossroads of important trade routes, but since the Chinese authorities closed the borders with Tibet and Central Asia in the 1960s, international trade has dwindled except for tourism. Since 1974, the Government of India has successfully encouraged tourism in Ladakh. Since Ladakh is a part of the strategically important Kashmir region, the Indian military maintains a strong presence in the region.
Different Sources compiled.
47% Muslim (Mainly Shia Muslims, 10% Sunnis), 39% Budhist, 12% Hindus
Ladakh means "land of high passes" surrounded by Himalayan mountain ranges popularly called Great Himalayas. The Pakistani Indus River / River Sindh is the backbone of Ladakh, originates from it. It contains two districts, Kargil and Leh. The largest town in Ladakh is Leh, followed by Kargil.
Ladakh is most famous for breathtaking landscapes, the crystal clear skies, the highest mountain passes, thrilling adventure activities, large Muslim residents, Buddhist Monasteries and festivals.
Ladakh is considered part of Jammu and Kashmir region but since 1800 it is a disputed area, on the border of Kashmir, Pakistan, and Tibet China on the top. Historically it is a Muslim Majority with population mainly of Shia Muslims of about 40% and 10% Sunni Muslims ratio.
The area of Ladakh is 59,146 sq km which is greater than the area of Himachal Pradesh(55,673 sq km). Ladakh lies in the eastern side of Jammu and is surrounded by the Himalayan mountain ranges popularly called Great Himalayas.
Ladakh experiences extreme type of climate where the temperature ranges from minus 35 degree Celsius in winter to 33 degree Celsius in summer.
Ladakh was an independent province since the middle of the 10th century. The ancient inhabitants of Ladakh were Dards. Immigrants of Tibet, Skardo and nearby parts like Purang, Guge settled in Ladakh, whose racial characters and cultures were in consonance with early settlers. The early religion of Ladakh wasthe people who worshipped many gods, the people also worshiped correlated with the water, earth, fire and mountains. Buddhism traveled from central India to Tibet via Ladakh leaving its imprint in Ladakh. Islamic missionaries also made a penetration of Islam in the early 16th century.
The Disputed Region of Ladakh between Pakistan, China and India
Gilgit-Baltistan and Ladakh both have Muslims with Shia Muslims domination along Sunnis. Other religions include Budhists, Hindus and other.
In addition to scrapping Article 370, the Indian Government also downgraded Jammu and Kashmir from a state to a "union territory", which means that it would now be governed by New Delhi rather than a state government.
Buddhist Ladakh was then carved off from Jammu and Kashmir, and also given the status of a union territory, much to the delight of its residents, who had long demanded separation from troubled Kashmir.
But the move unsettled China in light of its claims to parts of Ladakh.
Mr Hooda said he believed the Indian Government would only use Aksai Chin as a bargaining chip in their negotiations with China over other land disputes, importantly Arunachal Pradesh in India's north-east, which Beijing claims as its own.
He said India might give up its claim to Aksai Chin if China recognised India's official borders with China.
But Indian think tank Observer Research Foundation's Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan said China's interference in what India considered its internal matter might affect Beijing's own border disputes with India.
"For one-and-a-half years, India and China have been talking about the 'Wuhan Spirit'," Dr Rajagopalan said, referring to a 2018 informal summit between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping that is said to have reset the India-China relationship after the Doklam crisis in 2017.
Coming back to Ladakh is a region administered by India as a union territory, and constituting a part of the larger region of Kashmir, which has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. It is bordered by China (Tibet) to the east, the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh to the south, Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan to the west, and the southwest corner of Xinjiang across the Karakoram Pass in the far north. It extends from the Siachen Glacier in the Karakoram range to the north to the main Great Himalayas to the south. The eastern end of Ladakh, consisting of the uninhabited Aksai Chin plains, has been under Chinese control since 1962.[12][13] Until 2019, Ladakh was a region of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. In August 2019, the Parliament of India passed an act by which Ladakh became a union territory on 31 October 2019 which became the main bone of contention and dispute between China, Pakistan and India.
In the past Ladakh gained importance from its strategic location at the crossroads of important trade routes, but since the Chinese authorities closed the borders with Tibet and Central Asia in the 1960s, international trade has dwindled except for tourism. Since 1974, the Government of India has successfully encouraged tourism in Ladakh. Since Ladakh is a part of the strategically important Kashmir region, the Indian military maintains a strong presence in the region.
Different Sources compiled.
