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In Pictures: Indian army patrols tense border with Pakistan

Over the last year, troops from the two sides have traded fire almost daily along the frontier, leaving dozens of civilians and soldiers dead.

Indian army soldiers patrol along the Line of Control (LoC) between India and Pakistan in Poonch, about 250km (156 miles) from Jammu city. [Channi Anand/AP Photo]
Published On 7 Jan 20217 Jan 2021
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From sandbagged Indian army bunkers dug deep into the Pir Panjal mountains in the Himalayas, villages on the Pakistan-administered side of Kashmir appear precariously close, on the other side of the Line of Control (LoC) that for the past 73 years has divided the region between the two nuclear-armed rivals.

Tens of thousands of soldiers from India and Pakistan are positioned along the two sides. The apparent calm is often broken by the boom of blazing guns, with each side accusing the other of initiating the firing.

The terrain is tough and the life of civilians living in the area is even tougher, with them often caught in the line of fire.

Over the last year, troops from the two sides have traded fire almost daily along the frontier, leaving dozens of civilians and soldiers dead.

The Associated Press journalists were recently allowed to cover the Indian army’s counterinsurgency drills in Poonch and Rajouri districts along the LoC. The training focused on tactical exercises, battle drills, firing practice, counterinsurgency operations and acclimatisation of soldiers to the harsh weather conditions.

In the winter, when mountain passes in the high reaches are blocked by snow, Indian troops move into bunkers and carry out long-range patrols to maintain a tight vigil along the frontier.

In some places in Rajouri, local groups called Village Defence Committees have been formed to aid the Indian army in keeping a close watch.

The two sides have fought two wars over the territory. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training rebels fighting for Indian-administered Kashmir’s independence or unification with Pakistan. Pakistan denies the charge and says it only offers diplomatic and moral support to the rebels.

Relations have been further strained since August 2019, when predominantly Hindu India revoked the Muslim-majority region’s semi-autonomous status and divided it into the federally governed territories of Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh, touching off anger on both sides of the frontier.

Sister of Mohammad Aslam, an Indian porter who was allegedly killed by the Pakistan army along the LoC, stands inside her home in Poonch. [Channi Anand/AP Photo]
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An elderly Indian, Noordin, who alleges his son Altaf Hussain was killed by the Pakistani army while ferrying ration supplies to one of the Indian army border posts, stands outside his house in Poonch. [Channi Anand/AP Photo]
Members of a local group, called Village Defence Committee, formed to aid the Indian army in keeping a close watch on the India-Pakistan border, rest near the LoC at Jhangad village in Naushera. [Channi Anand/AP Photo]
Village Defence Committee members walk near the LoC at Jhangad village in Naushera. [Channi Anand/AP Photo]
An Indian army soldier stands near a forward post at the LoC that divides the region between the two nuclear-armed rivals, in Poonch. [Channi Anand/AP Photo]
Indian army soldiers patrol near a forward post at the LoC. [Channi Anand/AP Photo]
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Indian soldiers display a cordon and search operation during a training session at Sarol in Rajouri. [Channi Anand/AP Photo]
An Indian army soldier displays spent ammunition said to be fired from the Pakistan side of the border. [Channi Anand/AP Photo]
An Indian army soldier carries an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) to his base between India and Pakistan border on the forward post of Balakot, in Poonch. [Channi Anand/AP Photo]
Indian army soldiers prepare a light machinegun in their bunker at a forward post along the LoC in Poonch. [Channi Anand/AP Photo]
An Indian army soldier patrols near the fencing at a forward post along the LoC. [Channi Anand/AP Photo]


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