Army to mark capture of Sherqui La in 1971

Indian Army will commemorate the capture of the Sherqui La, a mountain pass, during the India-Pak War of 1971.

Located along the Line of Control (LoC) along the Indus in Ladakh, the battle had followed the capture of another feature – called Point 13,620.

The thrust started on December 9 to take Point 13,620 and ended in the early hours on December 15, 1971 when Sherqui La was captured. The Indian Army’s Leh-based 14 Corps announced the commemoration on X saying “The 9th battalion of J&K Militia of the Indian Army captured one of the most important enemy post opposite Indus Sherqui La”.

On December 15 this year, the victory day anniversary is scheduled to be commemorated at Silmo village in Batalik, Ladakh, the Army said. The J&K Militia was renamed as J&K Rifles in 1972. The battle of Point 13,620 was fought by 9 J&K Militia and a company of the 2nd Battalion of the 11 Gorkha Rifles regiment.

Point 13,620 is the dominating feature in Kargil Sector. It dominates road axis Srinagar-Leh and overlooks the entire valley of Kargil. It also dominates, at places, the Kargil-Batalik road.

A book ‘Defence of the East lies in the West: Pakistan’s Miscalculations’ published by the think tank Centre Land Warfare Studies states the General Officer Commanding, 3 Infantry Division, Maj Gen SP Malhotra (later Lt Gen), decided to advance the move to capture Point 13,620 by two days. Post the capture of Point 13,620, the 9 J&K Militia was tasked with capturing Sherqui La -– a pass at 14,900 ft — consisting of six posts of the enemy.