Kashmir Highway
Encyclopedia
The Kashmir Highway was a route that used to traverse the length of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, it provided an important link into the Punjab
. This highway was built by the then Maharaja of Kashmir Gulab Singh in 1882. However after Pakistan
and India
gained their independence from Britain this route became broken.
The eastern part of the route is under Indian control and links Srinagar
to Leh. The western half of the route is under Pakistani control and leads towards Srinagar
from Rawalpindi
via Murree
and the Kohala Bridge
(the bridge links Pakistan-administered Kashmir
to the rest of Pakistan).
As Srinagar is under Indian control, it is no longer possible for Pakistanis to get much further than the Kohala Bridge area, similarly westwards travel for Indians from Srinagar into Pakistani territory is no longer possible.
Punjab (British India)
Punjab was a province of British India, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British rule. With the end of British rule in 1947 the province was split between West Punjab, which went to Pakistan, and East Punjab, which went to India...
. This highway was built by the then Maharaja of Kashmir Gulab Singh in 1882. However after Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
gained their independence from Britain this route became broken.
The eastern part of the route is under Indian control and links Srinagar
Srinagar
Srinagar is the summer seasonal capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. It is one of the largest cities in India not to have a Hindu majority. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats...
to Leh. The western half of the route is under Pakistani control and leads towards Srinagar
Srinagar
Srinagar is the summer seasonal capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. It is one of the largest cities in India not to have a Hindu majority. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats...
from Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
via Murree
Murree
Murree city is a popular hill station and a summer resort, especially for the residents of Rawalpindi/Islamabad, and for the cities of the province of Punjab, Pakistan...
and the Kohala Bridge
Kohala Bridge
The Kohala Bridge across the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus River, forms part of one of the land routes from the Azad Kashmir to the rest of Pakistan....
(the bridge links Pakistan-administered Kashmir
Pakistan-administered Kashmir
Azad Kashmir borders the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the west, the Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan to the north west, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of People's Republic of China to the north and the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir, to the east.A...
to the rest of Pakistan).
As Srinagar is under Indian control, it is no longer possible for Pakistanis to get much further than the Kohala Bridge area, similarly westwards travel for Indians from Srinagar into Pakistani territory is no longer possible.