The Indian Army is studying the military imp-lications of the formation of an artificial lake that has blocked the Karakoram Highway in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the only land route linking Pakistan and China through the strategic Khunjerab pass. Defence sources said the Army is studying the effects of the disruption on Sino-Pakistan military trade and clandestine movement of armaments on the Kara-koram Highway. Sources said the movement of military equipment via the land route has been affected.
The 20-km-long artificial lake was created after a landslide in the Hunza valley in PoK. The Army estimates it could take one-and-a-half years for normalcy to be restored on the highway, which is also referred to by the Pakistanis as the “Friendship Highway” to emphasise close ties with China. Sources said the artificial lake and its consequences had unnerved the Pakistani leadership with both Pakistan Army Chief Gen. Ashraf Kayani and PM Y.R. Gilani visiting the site to assess the fallout.