The India–Pakistan border is the international boundary that separates the nations of the

Republic of India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area; the most populous country since 2023; and, since its independence in 1947, the world's most populous democracy. Bounded by ...

and the

Islamic Republic of Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. At its northern end is the

Line of Control The Line of Control (LoC) is a military control line between the Indian and Pakistanicontrolled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir—a line which does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary, but ser ...

, which separates Indian-administered Jammu & Kashmir from Pakistani- administered Kashmir; and at its southern end is Sir Creek, a tidal estuary in the

Rann of Kutch The Rann of Kutch is a large area of salt marshes that span the border between India and Pakistan. It is located mostly in the Kutch district of the Indian state of Gujarat, with a minor portion extending into the Sindh province of Pakistan. ...

between the Indian state of

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

and the Pakistani province of

Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...

. Arising from the

partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

in 1947, the border covers the provincial boundaries of Gujarat and

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

with

, and the

Radcliffe Line The Radcliffe Line was the boundary demarcated by the two boundary commissions for the provinces of Punjab Province (British India), Punjab and Bengal Presidency, Bengal during the Partition of India. It is named after Cyril Radcliffe, 1st Visco ...

between the partitions of Punjab. It traverses a variety of terrain in the northwestern region of the subcontinent, ranging from major urban areas to inhospitable deserts. Since the beginning of the India–Pakistan conflict shortly after the two countries' conjoined independence, it has been the site of numerous cross-border military standoffs and full-scale wars. The border's total length is according to figures given by the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

; it is also ranked as one of the most dangerous international boundaries in the world, based on an article written in ''

Foreign Policy Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...

'' in 2011. During the nighttime, the India–Pakistan border is distinctly visible from outer space due to the 150,000

floodlight A floodlight is a broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial light. It can provide functional area lighting for travel-ways, parking, entrances, work areas, and sporting venues to enable visibility adequate for safe task performance, ornament ...

s installed by India on approximately 50,000 poles.

Sections

The India-Pakistan border includes mutually-recognised International Border and several disputed sections, listed from north to south: # '' Actual Ground Position Line'' (AGPL) - separates the current positions of Indian and Pakistani military posts and troops along the long frontline in the disputed region of

Siachen Glacier The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range of the Himalayas, just northeast of the point NJ9842 where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan ends in northeastern Kashmir. At long, it is the longest glaci ...

: It runs along the Saltoro Mountains range, beginning from the northernmost point of the ( LOC) at Point NJ 9842 and ending in the north on the Indira Ridge at the India-China-Pakistan LAC tripoint near Sia Kangri about northwest of Indira Col West, with peaks in excess of and temperatures ranging to around .How India realised it was at risk of losing the Siachen glacier to Pakistan
The Print, 12 April 2018. India gained control of of disputed territory in 1984 because of its military operations in Siachen. # '' Line of Control (LoC)'' - separates disputed areas of Indian-administered

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory and constitutes an eastern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a Kashmir#Kashmir dispute, dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and India an ...

and Jammu and Kashmir UT from Pakistani-administered Kashmir: It was demarcated after the 1972 Simla Agreement. Earlier the UN-mediated ceasefire line of 1949 served as the ''de facto'' border between the two regions after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947, which was revised to a

after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. # ''Working Boundary'' (WB) - separates the disputed section of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir from the Pakistani Punjab: It is referred to as a working boundary by the UN, while India regards it as the international border. Pakistani Punjab is internationally recognized as a part of Pakistan by both parties while Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed territory (claimed by Pakistan, controlled by India). # ''International Boundary'' (IB) or ''

'' - runs from Punjab to

and

: The demarcated line between the India and Pakistan is recognized by both nations. # '' Sir Creek'' - separates southern Gujarat in India from southern Sindh in Pakistan: The long-standing India-Pakistan Sir Creek border dispute stems from the demarcation "from the mouth of Sir Creek to the top of Sir Creek, and from the top of Sir Creek eastward to a point on the line designated on the Western Terminus". From this point onward, the boundary is unambiguously fixed as defined by the Tribunal Award of 1968.

Barrier

Out of total length of border with Pakistan,

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

has completely fenced by 2024 and the remaining is covered by physical and non-physical barriers as it is not feasible to fence the entire border due to densely forested rugged mountains, riverine and marshy areas. India has similar fence on borders with

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

and

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

.1643 km Indo-Myanmar border to be fenced, a patrol track to be built: Amit Shah
Hindustan Times, 6 Feb 2024. In February 2025, India's

Central Public Works Department The Central Public Works Department (CPWD, ) is a department under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs of India and is in charge of public sector works. It serves as the builder, developer and manager of Central government properties. Wit ...

(CPWD) started to construct a 1,450 km long border road along the border barrier across the Indian Punjab (354 km) and Rajsthan (1096 km). This will enable the swifter access, strengthen the anti-drug and anti-terrorism patrolling, and act as anti-tunnel mechanism.राजस्थान में पश्चिमी सीमा पर बन रहा कुछ ऐसा, जिससे पाकिस्तान के उड़ जाएंगे होश, BSF का काम होगा आसान
MSN.com, 9 Feb 2025.

Border crossings

* Border crossings with designated immigration and customs facilities are: ** Attari and

Wagah Wagah (; ; ), also spelled Wagha or Wahga, is a village and union council (UC 181) located in the Wahga Zone near Lahore City District, Pakistan. The town is famous for the Wagah border ceremony and also serves as a goods transit terminal a ...

is the most famous and prominent, due to the Attari–Wagah border ceremony. The crossing is located 32 kilometres from Amritsar and 24 kilometers from Lahore. ** Kartarpur Corridor is the newest border crossing. While currently it only serves pilgrims from India to

Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, also called Kartarpur Sahib, is a gurdwara (Sikh temple) in Kartarpur, Pakistan, Kartarpur, Shakargarh Tehsil, Narowal District, in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is built on the very historic site where the f ...

with a valid Electronic Travel Authorisation, it has designated immigration and customs facilities. ** Munabao, a village in

Barmer district Barmer District is a district in Rajasthan state of India. It is located in the western part of Rajasthan state forming a part of the Thar Desert. Barmer was the third largest district by area in Rajasthan and fifth largest district in India, o ...

, has a railway station through which the

Thar Express The ''Thar Express'' (, , Rajasthani languages, Rajasthani: थार एक्सप्रेस, Sindhi language, Sindhi: ٿر ايڪسپريس) was an international passenger train that ran between the a suburban area of Jodhpur in the India ...

connects India with Pakistan. The crossing point had been closed after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. It reopened in 2006 but closed again in 2019. * Other crossings ** Ganda Singh Wala border,

Kasur District Kasur District ( Punjabi, ), is a district located in Lahore Division of Punjab, Pakistan. It came into existence on 1 July 1976; prior to its creation, the area comprised two tehsils ( Kasur Tehsil and Chunian Tehsil) of Lahore District. Acc ...

(Pakistan side) / Hussainiwala border,

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

(India side) ** Sulaimanki,

(Pakistan side) / Fazilka border, Fazilka district, Punjab (India side) ** Longewala (closed)

Border ceremonies

At the following border crossing sites and the beating retreat flag ceremonies are jointly held by the military of both nations every day at 6:30 pm, which are open to public as tourist attractions.5 crossing points in India: All you need to know
India Today, 10 OCt 2016.
CHanging Guards, accessed 8 July 2021. No special permit or ticket is needed. The ceremony sites are as follows (from north to south): *

Punjab, India Punjab () is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. Forming part of the larger Punjab, Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, the state is bordered by the States and union territories of India, Indian states ...

–

Punjab, Pakistan Punjab (, ) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. With a population of over 127 million, it is the Demographics of Pakistan, most populous province in Pakistan and the List of first-level administrative divisions by popu ...

** Attari–Wagah border ceremony near

Amritsar Amritsar, also known as Ambarsar, is the second-List of cities in Punjab, India by population, largest city in the India, Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab, after Ludhiana. Located in the Majha region, it is a major cultural, transportatio ...

in Punjab: The flag lowering ceremony at the village of

is held each evening immediately before sunset by the border agents of Pakistan (

Pakistan Rangers The Pakistan Rangers () are a pair of paramilitary federal law enforcement corps' in Pakistan. The two corps are the Punjab Rangers (operating in Punjab province with headquarters in Lahore) and the Sindh Rangers (operating in Sindh province w ...

) and India ( Border Security Force or BSF). The ceremony begins with battle calls from both sides in the form of loud screaming done by the border guards. This is followed by a series of organized high kicks, stomps, and dance moves during which the opposing forces stare each other down. The event ends with a handshake of good faith being exchanged by the head guards along with the lowering of the flags. It is symbolic of the brotherhood as well as the rivalry that these two nations share. The border troops are known to exchange sweets with the opposing side during the Muslim holidays of Eid and Hindu holiday of

Diwali Diwali (), also called Deepavali (IAST: ''Dīpāvalī'') or Deepawali (IAST: ''Dīpāwalī''), is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions such as Jainism and Sikhism. It symbolises the spiritual v ...

. It has been a peaceful gathering with the exception of the 2014 Wagah border suicide attack by Islamist terrorists in which 60 people were killed and over 110 people were left injured. ** Hussainiwala–Ganda Singh Wala border ceremony near Firozepur in Punjab. ** Sadiqui–Sulemanki border ceremony near Fazilka in Punjab.Sadqi retreat ceremony
nic.in, accessed 8 July 2021.
Hindustan Times, 201 April 2017.At Sadiqi border, strained Indo-Pak ties dampen spirits
The Tribune, 17 April 2019. *

–

** Munabao–Khokhrapar border ceremony in

in Rajasthan.

Gallery

References

External links

* *
International Boundary Study No. 86 – 2 December 1968 India – Pakistan Boundary

Last Village in India Pakistan border Whose walls are on the Zero Line
{{DEFAULTSORT:India-Pakistan border Borders of India Borders of Pakistan International borders

Border Borders are generally defined as geography, geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by polity, political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other administrative divisio ...