Examine the map of Jammu and Kashmir given below : The mountain ranges marked 1, 2, 3 and 4 are respectively

The relative positions of these ranges in Jammu & Kashmir place the Karakoram to the north, the Ladakh Range immediately to its south, the Zanskar Range further south of Ladakh, and the Pir Panjal as part of the Lesser Himalaya forming the southern rim of the Kashmir Valley. Textual descriptions state Ladakh is bounded by the Karakoram in the north and Zanskar in the south, which establishes the Karakoram–Ladakh–Zanskar sequence [1]. Book references also list the trans-Himalayan ranges (Karakoram, Ladakh and Zanskar) and note Pir Panjal as a principal range of the Lesser Himalaya in the region, confirming the fourth position for Pir Panjal [2].

Sources

1. [1] Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 2: Physiography > The Cold Desert of India ( Ladakh) > p. 48
2. [2] Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 2: Physiography > Altitude of Snowline in the Himalaya > p. 23