Chicken's Neck (Pakistan): Difference between revisions

[[File:Kashmir_Jammu_Map.png|thumb|320x236px|right|The line separating Jammu and Kashmir of India (blue) and Pakistan-administered Kashmir (dark green) is called the ''Line of Control'' (LoC ), it begins at ''Dhalan'' west of ''Jammu'' and ends at the ''Point NJ9842'' at extreme southwest corner of [[Siachen]]. The ''"Actual Ground Position Line'' (AGPL) separates areas held by India and Pakistan in the disputed Siachen region.]]

The '''Chicken's Neck''', or the '''Akhnoor Dagger''', is the name for a narrow strip of [[Pakistan]]i territory, including an islet between [[Chenab River]] in the west and its tributary [[Tawi River]] in the east, which extends into the [[India]]n Union Territory of [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]] just southwest of [[Akhnoor]]. It has been a focal point in all the wars between India and Pakistan, as it is seen as a corridor to gain access to most of Jammu and Kashmir. One of the main thrusts of [[Operation Grand Slam]] in the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]] was to capture Akhnoor through the Chicken's Neck, which could potentially have choked the [[Indian Army]] in the region; however, the plan failed.<ref name=Chick1>[https://scroll.in/article/954234/a-tale-of-two-chickens-necks-how-indias-armed-forces-kept-pakistan-and-china-at-bay A tale of two ‘Chicken’s Necks’: How India’s armed forces kept Pakistan and China at bay], Scroll.in, 29 Feb 2020.</ref>

This sensitive piece of land measuring roughly {{convert|170|km²|abbr=on}}, part of [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab Province]]'s [[Sialkot District]] in Pakistan, lies southwest of the disputed region of [[Kashmir]]. This area is on the [[India–Pakistan border|Indian–Pakistan International Border]] (IB) and the [[Line of Control]] (LoC) commences in the west at [[Dhalan]].

== Etymology ==

As a reflection of their respective [[Geostrategy|geostrategic]] perceptions, this Pakistani territory which juts into India was named as the ''Akhnoor Dagger'' by Pakistan and the ''Chicken's Neck'' by India.<ref name=Chick1/>

== Indo-Pakistan borders: SC, IB, LOC, AGPL ==

The actual India-Pakistan boundary is divided into 4 types of borders: disputed [[Sir Creek]] (SC) riverine border, mutually agreed [[India–Pakistan border |India–Pakistan International Border]] (IB) from north of ''Sir Creek'' to north of Dhalan near [[Jammu]], [[Line of Control]] (LoC) across [[Kashmir conflict|disputed Kashmir and Ladakh regions]] from north of Dhalan in India and west of Chicken's Neck in Pakistan to Point [[NJ9842]], and [[Actual Ground Position Line]] (AGPL) across [[Siachen]] from ''Point NJ9842'' to [[Indira Col|Indira Col West]]. Siachen lies west of the [[Trans-Karakoram Tract|Shaksgam]] ceded by Pakistan to China via the 1963 [[Sino-Pakistan Agreement]] but also claimed by India<ref name=Time>{{cite magazine |url =http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,870184,00.html | title = Pakistan: Signing with the Red Chinese | magazine = Time (magazine)|date =15 March 1963 | accessdate =11 January 2020}}</ref> and [[Aksai Chin]] held by China since 1962 but also claimed by India. The Shaksgam Tract controlled by China is located north of the Saltoro mountain range from [[K12_(mountain)|K12]] to the [[Teram Shehr plateau]].<ref name=control2>R Baghela and M Nüsserab, 2015, [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0962629815000347 Securing the heights: The vertical dimension of the Siachen conflict between India and Pakistan in the Eastern Karakoram], [[Political Geography (journal)]], Volume 48, Pages 24-36.</ref>

== Gallery ==

<gallery>

File:Siachen_Glacier.png|thumb|320x240px|left|Jammu and Kashmir map showing Siachen Glacier and disputed areas currently held by India, Pakistan and China.

</gallery>

==See also==

* [[Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts]]

* [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]]

* [[Line of Control]]

==References==

{{reflist}}