Toba Kakar

The Toba Kakar (Pashto توبه کاکړۍ; Urdu: توبہ کاکڑ) or Toba Kakari are a southern offshoot of the Sulaiman Mountains in the Balochistan province of Pakistan, extending into the Kandahar and Zabul provinces of Afghanistan. The historical route through the mountains is known as the Bolan Pass. The mountains originally received media attention in August 1979; when evidence emerged that Pakistan may be using them as a potential workspace towards development of nuclear weapons. Again in April 1981, the United States government raised concerns, this time with Senator Alan Cranston referring specifically to a nuclear test site, built into the side of the mountains, 40 kilometres from Afghanistan. As a result of this, Congress amended existing legislation that would terminate financial assistance to Pakistan in the event of any nuclear test, so that it could not be waived by the president. A western offshoot of the range in Killa Abdullah District is called the Toba Achakzai (also known as Khwaja Amran).

Bolan Pass in the Toba Kakar range

In late 2004, John Lehman announced that the United States now had the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden narrowed down to a 16-square kilometre area in the Toba Kakar mountains; though they were hesitant to enter the area, Lehman using the reference that it would be "another Vietnam". Pakistan's Major General Shaukat Sultan commented the claims of bin Laden being in that mountain range were "ridiculous" and without basis.

See also
  • Mountain ranges of the Himalayas
  • Mountain ranges of Pakistan

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