Chorbat Valley

Chorbat Valley is a stretch of the Shyok River valley in the Karakoram range, divided today between Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan and Indian-administered Ladakh, with about 13 villages on the Baltistan side and 5 on the Ladakh side and a combined population of around 20,000 as of 2010. The valley runs from the historical village of Dou-U westward to Chalunka, widening near Yagulung before narrowing into a mountain gorge, and is bordered by high Karakoram peaks with extremely cold winters owing to nearby glaciers; the Chorbat La pass traditionally marked the boundary between Baltistan and Ladakh and now lies on the Line of Control. The valley was once a significant Silk Road trading route, and its current international boundary was fixed by the 1972 Simla Agreement after repeated territorial shifts, including Indian control of several villages during the 1971 war.