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{{Short description|Section of Shyok River Valley in Kashmir}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Chorbat Valley
| official_name =
| native_name =
| native_name_lang = Balti
| settlement_type = Valley
| image_skyline = Chorbat, Northern Areas, Pakistan.jpg
| imagesize = 250px
| image_alt =
| image_caption =
| pushpin_map = Kashmir
| pushpin_map_caption = Kashmir
| coordinates = {{coord|34.930|76.763|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = [[Pakistan]] & [[India]]
| subdivision_type1 = Province
| subdivision_name1 = [[Gilgit-Baltistan]] & [[Ladakh]]
| subdivision_type2 = District
| subdivision_name2 = [[Ghanche District|Ghanche]] & [[Leh district|Leh]]
| subdivision_type3 = Tehsil
| subdivision_name3 = [[Khaplu]] & [[Nubra Valley|Nubra]]
| area_total_km2 =
| population_as_of = 2010
| population_total = 20,000
| population_density_km2 =
| timezone1 =
| utc_offset1 =
| demographics1_title1 = Main language(s)
| demographics1_info1 = [[Balti language|Balti]]
| website =
}}
'''Chorbat Valley''' ({{langx|ur|{{nq|وادی چھوربٹ}}}}, {{langx|bft|ཆོར་བད|chor bad}}) is a section of the [[Shyok River]] Valley divided between Pakistan-administered [[Gilgit-Baltistan]] and Indian-administered [[Ladakh]]. The Pakistan-administered portion is in the [[Khaplu]] [[tehsil]] of [[Ghanche district]] in Gilgit-Baltistan, and the Indian-administered portion is in the [[Nubra valley|Nubra tehsil]] of [[Leh district]] in Ladakh. Chorbat traditionally stretches from the edge of Khaplu to the [[Chalunka]] village of Nubra.<ref>{{harvp|Gazetteer of Kashmir and Ladak|1890|p=274}}: 'The most easterly ''ilaka'' of the wazarat of Skardu. "It extends along the Shyok river from Chulanka, on the frontier of Ladak, to Dah (or Dau), on the boundary of Khapalu, a distance of 44 miles."'</ref>

The Khan of Chorbat moved his capital from [[Siksa, Chorbat|Siksa]] (originally named Chorbat) to [[Turtuk]] in the 18th century. These two villages (now in Pakistan and India respectively) are the largest villages of the Chorbat region.

== Geography ==
{{OSM Location map
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| mark-image2 =
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| mark-title3 = Siksa
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| mark-description3 = Principal village of Chorbat

| mark-coord13 = {{coord|34.93484|76.73156}}
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| mark-title13 = Frano
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| mark-description13 = village of Frano

| mark-coord4 = {{coord|35.1083|76.4708}}
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| label4 = Dawou
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| mark-title4 = Dawou
| mark-image4 =
| mark-description4 = Western end of Chorbat

| mark-coord5 = {{coord|34.847|N|76.827|E}}
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| label5 = Turtuk
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| mark-title5 = Turtuk
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| mark-coord6 = {{coord|34.824|76.935}}
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| mark-description6 = Eastern end of Chorbat, 1949 ceasefire line

| mark-coord8 = {{coord|35|10|N|76|20|E}}
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| label8 = Khaplu
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| mark-title8 = Khaplu
| mark-image8 =
| mark-description8 = District headquarters

| mark-coord9 = {{coord|34.65629|76.33991}}
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| mark-coord10 = {{coord|34.9284|76.7201}}
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| mark-title11 = Hanu stream
| mark-image11=
| mark-description11= Tributary of the Indus river

| mark-coord12 = {{coord|34.8857|76.5629}}
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| label12 = Chorbat |labela12 = Lungpa
| label-size12 = 11
| label-color12 = hard blue
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| mark-title12 = Chorbat Longpa
| mark-image12=
| mark-description12= Tributary of the Shyok river
}}
[[File:Baltistan Chorbat.jpg|thumb|right|275px|Chorbat Valley near Hassanabad]]
[[File:View of Shyok Valley from Turtuk Village, Ladakh.JPG|thumb|right|275px|Chorbat Valley near Turtuk]]

Chorbat is an indistinct region<ref name="changed hands">{{harvp|Vohra, Mythic Lore from Nubra Valley|1990|loc=p. 226, note 2}}: "The precise dividing point from where the Chorbat area can be demarcated is at present not possible. The Chorbat area, during the last three centuries, continuously changed hands between the rulers of Khapalu and Ladakh."</ref> at the border between [[Baltistan]] and Ladakh near the course of the Shyok River. It is marked by
* the '''Chorbat La''' pass, the traditional border between Baltistan and Ladakh and currently on [[Line of Control]] between Pakistan and India,<ref name=Drew>{{harvp|Drew, The Jummoo and Kashmir Territories|1875}}: "The Chorbat Pass is the boundary of Baltistan in this direction; by this road also used to come Balti raiders, as the remains of a fort at Yogma Hanū prove, which the people of the valley had put up against them."</ref>
* the Chorbat village in Baltistan, now called [[Siksa, Chorbat|Siksa]], and
* the town of [[Turtuk]], presently in Nubra, which is considered its traditional capital.<ref name="Diary">{{Cite web |title=Outlook India Magazine: India's Best Online News Magazine For In-depth News, Analysis, Opinion |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine |access-date=2026-03-08 |website=Outlook India |language=en}}</ref>
In the early decades of the [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu and Kashmir]] princely state, there was a Chorbat {{lang|ur|ilaqa}} (subdistrict) in the Baltistan {{lang|ur|wazarat}} (district). It stretched along the Shyok River Valley from a village called Dou-U (Dawou)<ref name="PakistanSource">{{cite web |title=Chorbat Valley: The Picturesque Valley of Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan |url=http://www.pakistansource.com/chorbat-valley/ |website=Pakistan Source |date=8 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161023221226/http://www.pakistansource.com/chorbat-valley/ |archive-date=23 October 2016 |url-status=usurped}}</ref> in the west to [[Chalunka]] in the east.{{sfnp|Gazetteer of Kashmir and Ladak|1890|p=274}}

Between the Chorbat village and the Chorbat La pass lies the '''Chorbat Lungpa''' Valley.{{sfnp|Enriquez, The Realm of the Gods|1915|pp=210–211}}{{sfnp|Bhattacharji, Ladakh|2012|loc=Ch. 4}} To the south of the Chorbat La pass, the Hanu Valley carries a stream that flows down to join the [[Indus River]] near the village of [[Dah, Ladakh|Dah]]. The Chorbat Lungpa and Hanu valleys constituted the main route from Baltistan to Ladakh in the past.<ref name=Drew/> The villages in the Hanu valley as well as Dah are fortified, indicating that they experienced raids from Baltistan in the past.<ref name=Drew/> Being the main travel route between Baltistan and Leh, the route carried part of the [[Silk Road]] traffic, which enriched the people of Chorbat.<ref name=Suryanarayanan>Archita Suryanarayanan, [https://www.thehindu.com/society/in-ladakhs-turtuk-village-life-goes-on-as-it-has-since-the-15th-century/article25202192.ece In Ladakh’s Turtuk village, life goes on as it has since the 15th century], The Hindu, 13 October 2018.</ref>

The valley is surrounded by high rising peaks of the [[Karakoram]] mountain range and the bank the Shyok River. The climate is hard with little rain and extremely cold winters due to proximity to [[Siachen Glacier]] and other peaks and glaciers.<ref name="PakistanSource3">{{cite web |date=8 April 2016 |title=Chorbat Valley: The Picturesque Valley of Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan |url=http://www.pakistansource.com/chorbat-valley/ |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161023221226/http://www.pakistansource.com/chorbat-valley/ |archive-date=23 October 2016 |website=Pakistan Source}}</ref> Geographically, the wide valley of the Shyok River in "Lower Nubra" narrows to a mountain gorge near the Yagulung village ({{coord|34.77|77.14}}). The Shyok flows through the gorge until [[Khaplu]], where the valley widens again.<ref>[https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/7918846 Shyok river valley between Diskit and Khaplu], OpenStreetMap, retrieved 28 July 2019.</ref> A string of villages dot this gorge, wherever possible along the banks of the river. The main populated areas in Chorbat are in the Shyok River Valley, comprising some 13 villages in present-day Baltistan, and 5 villages in Indian-administered Ladakh.<ref name="PakistanSource2">{{cite web |date=8 April 2016 |title=Chorbat Valley: The Picturesque Valley of Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan |url=http://www.pakistansource.com/chorbat-valley/ |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161023221226/http://www.pakistansource.com/chorbat-valley/ |archive-date=23 October 2016 |website=Pakistan Source}}</ref><ref name="VisitPakistan2">[http://www.new.visitpakistanonline.com/st_location/pakistan/gilgit-baltistan/baltistan/ghanche/chorbat-valley-baltistan/ Chorbat Valley Baltistan], VisitPakistanOnline.com, retrieved 28 July 2019.</ref> In Pakistan, these villages are Dawou, Marcha, Kuwas, [[Siksa, Chorbat|Siksa]], [[Hassanabad, Chorbat|Hassanabad]], Partuk, Piun, Kalaan, Sukhmos, Chhowar, Thongmus, Siari, and [[Frano, Gilgit-Baltistan|Frano]]. In India, they are [[Bogdang]], [[Chalunka]], [[Turtuk]], [[Tyakshi]], and [[Thang, Ladakh|Thang]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Turtuk, a Promised Land Between Two Hostile Neighbours |url=https://thewire.in/123835/turtuk-story-of-a-promise-land/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=An encounter with the 'king' of Turtuk, a border village near Gilgit-Baltistan |url=https://scroll.in/article/815863/an-encounter-with-the-king-of-turtuk-a-border-village-near-gilgit-baltistan}}</ref> The folklore includes all these villages in Chorbat.<ref name="PakistanSource4">{{cite web |date=8 April 2016 |title=Chorbat Valley: The Picturesque Valley of Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan |url=http://www.pakistansource.com/chorbat-valley/ |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161023221226/http://www.pakistansource.com/chorbat-valley/ |archive-date=23 October 2016 |website=Pakistan Source}}</ref><ref name="VisitPakistan">[http://www.new.visitpakistanonline.com/st_location/pakistan/gilgit-baltistan/baltistan/ghanche/chorbat-valley-baltistan/ Chorbat Valley Baltistan], VisitPakistanOnline.com, retrieved 28 July 2019.</ref>

== History ==
According to Rohit Vohra, the original settlers of the area were [[Brogpa|Brog-pa]] [[Dards]].{{sfnp|Vohra, Mythic Lore from Nubra Valley|1990|pp=229–230}} Above the present day Turtuk stand the ruins of a large fortress built they built. Tradition holds that the Brog-pa Dards were Buddhist and lived under a constant danger of attack from the north, until two warriors from the 'west' called Chulli and Yandrung overran them. The Brog-pas are said to have fled and settled in the Hanu valley. The present day residents of Turtuk are divided into 'Chulli-pa' and 'Yandrung-pa', claiming descent from Chulli and Yandrung.{{sfnp|Vohra, Mythic Lore from Nubra Valley|1990|pp=229–230}} The area is said to have been originally settled by people from Ladakh.{{sfnp|Vohra, Mythic Lore from Nubra Valley|1990|loc=p. 226, note 2}} At present, the people display a mix of Ladakhi and Balti influences.<ref>{{harvp|Vohra, Mythic Lore from Nubra Valley|1990|p=225}}: "The total Muslim population is about 2800 and except for a few families at Hundar (Ladakhi) all of their villages lie in the Chorbat area whose cultural belief system shows a mixture of Ladakhi and Balti influences."</ref>

Later, in the 16th–17th centuries, Islamic missionaries came to the area. Traditions narrate the visits of 'Amir Kabir' (possibly [[Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani]]) and [[Muhammad Nurbakhsh Qahistani|Sayyid Nur Baksh]], who defeated the Buddhist lamas in debate and converted the people to Islam.{{sfnp|Vohra, Mythic Lore from Nubra Valley|1990|p=231}}

A [[Yabghu]] (Tibetan spelling: Yagbo) family controlled Khaplu from some uncertain date ({{circa|850}} according to tradition).<ref>{{citation |first=Ahmad Hasan |last=Dani |authorlink=Ahmad Hasan Dani |chapter=The Western Himalayan States |editor1=M. S. Asimov |editor2=C. E. Bosworth |title=History of Civilizations of Central Asia, Vol. IV, Part 1 — The age of achievement: A.D. 750 to the end of the fifteenth century — The historical, social and economic setting |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=18eABeokpjEC&pg=PA215 |date=1998 |publisher=UNESCO |isbn=978-92-3-103467-1 |page=220}}</ref> In the 18th century, the Chorbat area was given by its ruler, Yabgo Yahya Khan of Khaplu to his son Yagbo Nasir Khan, who came to live in Turtuk. The present headman of Turtuk traces his descent from him.{{sfnp|Vohra, Mythic Lore from Nubra Valley|1990|p=231}}

=== Modern history ===
The Chorbat area, during the last three centuries, continuously changed hands between the rulers of [[Skardu]], Khaplu and Ladakh, before coming under the suzerainty of Dogra Kingdom in the mid-19th century.{{sfnp|Vohra, Mythic Lore from Nubra Valley|1990|loc=p. 226, note 2}}{{sfnp|Afridi, Baltistan in History|1988|p=266}}<ref name="changed hands"/> Between 1834 and 1840, the [[Dogra State|Dogra]] general [[Zorawar Singh Kahluria|Zorawar Singh]] conquered both Ladakh and Baltistan and made them part of the [[Sikh Empire]]. Under the [[Treaty of Amritsar (1846)|Treaty of Amritsar]], the areas were transferred to Maharaja [[Gulab Singh]] to form part of the new princely state of Jammu and Kashmir under the suzerainty of the [[British Indian Empire|British]]. Baltistan was at first administered as a {{lang|ur|wazarat}} with 15 {{lang|ur|ilaqas}}, with Chorbat being one of them.{{sfnp|Gazetteer of Kashmir and Ladak|1890|p=194}} Later, Ladakh and Baltistan formed a joint [[Ladakh Wazarat]] whose capital alternated between [[Leh]] and Skardu for six months each year.{{sfnp|Afridi, Baltistan in History|1988|p=266}}

=== India–Pakistan conflicts ===
[[File:J&K07low.jpg|thumb|right|Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948]]

In 1947, after the independence of the [[Dominion of India]] and [[Dominion of Pakistan]], Jammu and Kashmir faced [[1947 Poonch rebellion|rebellion in its western districts]] followed by tribal invasion with Pakistani support, which provoked the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir to join India. Maharaja's accession to India prompted the [[Gilgit Scouts]] in the north to [[1947 Gilgit rebellion|rebel and overthrow the Maharaja's administration]]. The Gilgit Scouts and Muslim members of [[Jammu and Kashmir State Forces]] stationed in the area organised themselves under the command of Colonel [[Aslam Khan (Pakistani brigadier)|Aslam Khan]], and launched an invasion on the Ladakh {{lang|ur|wazarat}}. By July–August 1948, the Gilgit Scouts had captured Kargil, Skardu and the [[Zoji La]] pass that connects Ladakh to the [[Kashmir Valley]], reaching the vicinity of Leh.

[[File:J&K10low.jpg|thumb|left|Position at the end of 1948]]
The fall of Leh to rebels was prevented by reinforcement through air and a tortuous mountain caravan from [[Himachal Pradesh]]. The Indian Army raised a local militia called the [[Nubra Guards]] under the command of [[Chewang Rinchen]], which reportedly blocked various passage routes to Leh.<ref>{{citation |author=Col J. Francis |title=Short Stories from the History of the Indian Army Since August 1947 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rotnAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA31 |year=2013 |publisher=Vij Books India Pvt Ltd |isbn=978-93-82652-17-5 |page=30}}: Quoting Col. Mohammad Yusuf of Pakistan Army: "Our intelligence revealed that our repeated attacks in Nubra Valley were foiled by the personal valour of a 17 year old boy named Chhewang Rinchen; had we succeeded at [[Skuru]], there would then have been no real obstacle to our capturing Leh."</ref> The Gilgit Scouts were progressively pushed back beyond the line connecting the Chorbat La pass and Chalunka. The ceasefire line was established through these two points at the end of 1948.{{sfnp|Krishna Rao, Prepare or Perish |1991|loc=p. 472, item (d)}} The entire Chorbat {{lang|ur|ilaqa}} came under the control of Pakistan. Bogdang, never a part of the {{lang|ur|ilaqa}}, remained under Indian control.

Under Pakistani control, Gilgit dominated Baltistan, and both regions were administered as non-descript "Northern Areas" by the Federal government of Pakistan. Chorbat was merged into the Khaplu {{lang|ur|niabat}} in this period.{{sfnp|Afridi, Baltistan in History|1988|p=241}}
{{OSM Location map
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| mark-coord1 = {{coord|34.926|76.798}}
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| mark-coord5 = {{coord|34.803|77.042}}
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| mark-coord10 = {{coord|34.9284|76.7201}}
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India and Pakistan fought two further wars over Kashmir. In the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965|1965 war]], the region saw some action, but the two countries returned to status quo after the war. In the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|war of 1971]], Rinchen's Nubra Guards, now part of the [[Ladakh Scouts]], captured further areas of Chorbat. They first took a 18,620-foot peak overlooking Chalunka. The two companies of [[Karakoram Scouts]] defending Chalunka were overpowered and retreated to Turtuk. Turtuk was then taken in four days, followed by Tyakshi and Thang.<ref>{{citation |last=Chakravorty |first=B. |title=Stories of Heroism: PVC & MVC Winners |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uzizVBSb4YsC&pg=PA139 |year=1995 |publisher=Allied Publishers |isbn=978-81-7023-516-3 |pages=139–140}}</ref> The villagers were frightened at first, but Rinchen reportedly alleviated their fears.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Arpi |first=Claude |date=22 December 2011 |title=Have you heard about this Indian Hero? |url=https://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-the-hero-of-nubra/20111222.htm |access-date=8 March 2026 |website=Rediff News |language=en}}</ref>

=== Division between India and Pakistan ===
[[File:At school in Turtuk - Nubra Valley (10020004514).jpg|thumb|right|225px|School girls in Turtuk]]
After the 1971 war, India and Pakistan reached the [[Simla Agreement]], whereby the ceasefire line of the war became the new [[Line of Control]], permanently dividing Chorbat between India and Pakistan. , Antía Mato Bouzas quotes a Balti soldier, whose village came under Indian control, who alleged that Pakistani prime minister [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]] did not care about the Balti villages captured by India and neglected to negotiate their return unlike the areas in [[Azad Kashmir]].<ref>{{harvp|Bouzas, (B)Ordering and the Politics of Belonging|2017|pp=114–115}}: Quoting a Balti soldier: "Pakistanis were not interested in these areas because they were mountain regions, although India was willing to return the villages [in the peace conversations of Simla in 1972]. The Pakistani Prime Minister Bhutto negotiated the return of villages in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Lahore sector but not ours."</ref>

The citizenship of these village residents changed from Pakistan to India overnight. Aaquib Khan, an Indian journalist, claims that India treated the villagers well and integrated them into the national mainstream. During an interview to Khan, a villager reportedly praised the role of Indian Army in this regard.<ref>{{harvp|Khan|2017}}: 'Mohammad is very fond of the Indian army. “I admire the Indian army and all the help they provided us – food, clothes, education. For me, ''upar Allah, niche Indian army'',” he said.'</ref> However, villagers who had gone to other parts of Pakistan before the war, for trade, study or travel, remained on the Pakistani side, never allowed to return home.<ref>{{Cite web |last=shabbir.mir |date=2016-01-04 |title=Man reunites with father after 1971 war |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1022109/man-reunites-with-father-after-1971-war |access-date=2025-08-21 |website=The Express Tribune |language=en}}</ref> Khan further claims that one member of a divided family reported going to the border carrying a white flag and a letter from the Indian Army, wanting to bring back his family. But he was detained by the Pakistani Army on the suspicions of being an Indian spy and refused return to home.<ref>{{harvp|Khan|2017}}: 'The unworldly villager, not knowing the consequences, told them that the Indian soldiers had not harmed them; instead they took good care of villagers. Hearing this, the Pakistani soldiers suspected him of being a spy for the Indian army and imprisoned him for six years.'</ref>

Balti activist Senge Sering claims that Pakistan's [[Inter-Services Intelligence]] (ISI) attempted to introduce jihad into this area. Local people were uncertain about their loyalties because they had lived under both Pakistani and Indian control, and some served in the Pakistan Army before India's take-over. Many of them also had relatives across the Line of Control who were subject to intimidation by the ISI. During the Kargil infiltration by Pakistan, some local people were suspected of having assisted the infiltrators. The Indian Army took some of them into custody, but later reportedly released them all, says Sering.<ref>Senge H. Sering,
[http://www.idsa.in/strategiccomments/ReclaimingNubraLocalsShunningPakistaniInfluences_SHSering_170809 "Reclaiming Nubra" – Locals Shunning Pakistani Influences], Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, Delhi, 17 August 2009.</ref>

=== Alleged Indian intrusions ===
Pakistani sources allege that, in 1972, shortly after the signing of the Shimla Agreement, Indian troops crossed the Line of Control (LoC) in the Chorbat La sector and seized about four square miles of Pakistani territory.<ref name=Cheema>{{Cite book |chapter=The strategic context of the Kargil conflict: A Pakistani perspective |last=Cheema |first=Zafar Iqbal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-vifpWqV2WYC |title=Asymmetric Warfare in South Asia: The Causes and Consequences of the Kargil Conflict |editor=Peter René Lavoy |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2009 |isbn=9780521767217 |edition=illustrated |page=58}}</ref> In 1988, India again crossed the LoC and seized four Pakistani posts in the Qamar sector, which lies between the Chorbat Valley and [[NJ9842]].<ref name=Cheema/><ref>[https://voiceofeast.net/2020/08/10/how-india-de-facto-destroyed-the-simla-agreement-with-pakistan/ How India de facto destroyed the Simla Agreement with Pakistan], voiceofeast.net, 10 August 2020.</ref>{{rs?|date=February 2023}}

==Resources==

Agriculture is only possible in the valley in summer due to extremely cold winters. Crops include beans and maize. The mountains and surrounding have generally no forests however there are some shrubs and herbs available which are generally used by the local communities as medicinal herbs, there is also a human-made forest of saplings which is the largest forest in the whole district. The Shyok River passing nearby the valley is one of the important resources of the area, irrigating the whole land. However the same river sometime creates havoc during summer through its unpredictable floods.

==See also==

* [[Aryan Valley]]
* [[Geography of Ladakh]]
* [[Tourism in Ladakh]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
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{{Ghanche District}}
{{Leh district}}

[[Category:Baltistan]]
[[Category:Populated places in Ghanche District]]
[[Category:Valleys of Gilgit-Baltistan]]
[[Category:Valleys of Ladakh]]

Chorbat Valley - Revision history

Bahoglalat at 12:08, 8 March 2026