Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inspected the newly inaugurated tunnel
AFP news agency on January 13 reported that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has just inaugurated a strategic tunnel through the Himalayas, expanding all-weather access north to mountainous border areas disputed with India. China and Pakistan.
The Z-Morh tunnel, also known as Sonmarg, extends 6.4 km below a rugged pass that is covered in snow for about 4-6 months every year, as part of an infrastructure building campaign in India’s border areas.
The tunnel helps connect Indian-administered Kashmir with the Ladakh region, serving as a stepping stone to the opening of the Srinagar-Leh highway, allowing for the rapid deployment of military supplies.
“With the opening of the tunnel here, connectivity will be significantly improved,” Mr. Modi said after cutting the ribbon to inaugurate the project worth $313 million and a decade of construction.
Another tunnel on the same route, the 13-km Zojila tunnel project, is more than half completed and expected to open in 2026, Indian officials said.
In related developments, Indian Army Commander Upendra Dwivedi said on January 13 that the country does not intend to reduce the number of soldiers in the northern border region during the winter, and will consider mobilizing for the summer based on results of negotiations with China.
In June 2020, 20 Indian soldiers and 4 Chinese soldiers were killed in border clashes. After that, the two sides stopped patrolling some border points in Ladakh to avoid new confrontations, and moved tens of thousands of new soldiers and military equipment closer to this cold mountainous area.
New Delhi and Beijing reached an agreement in October 2024 to resolve military tensions and subsequently withdrew troops from the disputed area.
