Actual Ground Position Line

[1][2][3][4] AGPL generally runs along the Saltoro Mountains range, beginning from the northernmost point of the (LOC) at Point NJ 9842 and ending in the north on the Indira Ridge at the India-China-Pakistan LAC tripoint near Sia Kangri about 4 km (2.5 mi) northwest of Indira Col West, with peaks in excess of 7,000 m (23,000 ft) and temperatures ranging to around −55 °C (−67 °F).

[9][10][11] India has at least 108 forward military outposts and artillery observation posts in this area where temperature goes down to −86 °C (−123 °F) during winters with icy 300 km/h (190 mph) blizzards.

[citation needed]Bana Top (6,200 metres (20,500 ft)) is the highest post and requires an 80-kilometre (50 mi) trek that takes up to 20 days for troops to reach.

The Pakistani Army hold posts at lower heights on the western slopes of the spurs of the Saltoro Ridge.

[15] As of 2013, Siachen operations cost INR 3,000 crore annually where over 850 Indian and over 1,800 Pakistani soldiers have died, mostly not in combat, but due to the weather conditions.

[12] The actual India-Pakistan boundary is divided into four types of borders: disputed Sir Creek (SC) riverine border, mutually agreed India–Pakistan International Border (IB) from north of Sir Creek to north of Dhalan near Jammu, LoC across disputed Kashmir and Ladakh regions from north of Dhalan in India and west of Chicken's Neck in Pakistan to Point NJ9842, and Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) across Siachen from Point NJ9842 to Indira Col West.

The only additional relevant text for the Saltoro – Siachen area in either the 1949 or the superseding 1972 Simla Agreement was "thence north to the glaciers."

Indian soldiers, following the often-internationally accepted principal of the highest watershed (mountain peaks and ridges) as the border, have held all of the Siachen Glacier and all its main passes since 1984.

Since 2010 tourist have been permitted in Nubra Valley up to Turtuk and beyond to Tyakshi on the LAC; both of these villages were captured from Pakistan by India in Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

UN map showing Siachen in white. Line between the green and white area is the "Actual Ground Position Line" (AGPL). The white area east of the AGPL is held by India.
Indo-Pak mutually-agreed undisputed "International Border" (IB) in the black line, Indo-Pak "Line of Control" (LoC) in black dotted line in the north and west, Indo-Sino "Line of Actual" (LAC) in black dotted line in the east, Indo-Pak line across Siachen in north is "Actual Ground Position Line" (AGPL). The areas shown in green are the two Pakistani-controlled areas: Gilgit–Baltistan in the north and Azad Kashmir in the south. The area shown in orange is the Indian-controlled territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, and the diagonally-hatched area to the east is the Chinese-controlled area known as Aksai Chin. "Territories ceded by Pakistan to China claimed by India" in the north is Shaksgam ( Trans-Karakoram Tract ).
UN map of the Line of Control , which ends at "Point NJ980420" (Point NJ9842). The "Actual Ground Position Line" (AGPL) of the Siachen Glacier begins here. Nubra River valley and Siachen glaciers held by India, along with Bilafond La and Sia La. The Masherbrum Range, Baltoro Glacier, Baltoro Glacier, Baltoro Muztagh and K2 are held by Pakistan.
Goma, Gilgit and Baltistan