Zojila Tunnel to add to Army’s manoeuvrability against Pakistan, China

The 13.14-km Zojila Tunnel, tipped to be the world’s longest single-tube bi-directional road tunnel at an altitude of 11,578 feet, is a strategic gamechanger for Ladakh, which is surrounded by hostile Pakistan to the west and China to the east.

Ladakh emerged as a major security challenge after the Kargil War of 1999 and frequent attempts by the Chinese at incursions on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), which resulted in a major skirmish in 2020.

The hostile neighbours forced the security strategists in India to work on a triangular corridor for the out-of-bounds Ladakh region, which would remain cut off during winters and escalated the cost of stocks significantly. This also made it hard to fortify forward formations in the wake of any illegal and provocative advances by the Chinese.

According to officials of the Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd. (MEIL), which started work on the Zojila Tunnel in 2020, the closure of Kashmir-Ladakh highway for six months during winters due to heavy snowfall “restricts the movement of military vehicles, leading to high inaccessibility and wastage of time”.

“There was a need to provide year-long transportation access to the Indian forces stationed there. Moreover, since the Srinagar and Ladakh regions are located adjacent to the international borders of Pakistan and China, national security is a concern,” said MEIL officials.

MEIL officials said the strategic Zojila Tunnel will “resolve the inaccessibility issue, enhancing military mobility.”

There are three strategic corridors – the Rohtang Pass connecting Ladakh with Himachal Pradesh, the Sinkula tunnel connecting Himachal with Ladakh’s Zanskar valley and Zojila Tunnel connecting J&K with Ladakh – that are likely to increase Indian Army’s military manoeuvrability against Pakistan and China.

During the 1999 Kargil War, the Kashmir valley-Kargil highway became vulnerable to shelling because the Pakistan Army could target the Drass highway in Kargil at will. This made it difficult for the Indian Army to ferry men and material during the 53-day-long war with Pakistan.

This scenario forced India to work on the Ladakh-Himachal corridor to add to the strategic depth and transport men and material to Leh without the prying eyes of Pakistan and China. However, the road opens in May and closes by November every year.

To counter and match China’s military manoeuvres along Ladakh’s LAC to the east, the construction of the 4.1-kilometre-long tunnel at an altitude of 15,800 feet at Shinku La pass is underway, which connects Ladakh’s Zanskar Valley with Himachal. It will become the world’s highest tunnel in the northern flank of the Himalayan Range, which is away from Chinese Army’s monitoring and picket surveillance. Once this all-weather road opens in 2028, India will have three corridors to ensure Ladakh’s military fortification is not dependent on weather. All the three corridors will significantly spur the ability to build up fortification against Pakistan and China in times of hostility.

The strategic 920-metre Shyok Tunnel on the Darbuk–Shyok–Daulat Oldie Road already cuts on the surveillance lens of China.