India shares land borders with six sovereign nations. The state's Ministry of Home Affairs also recognizes a 106 kilometres (66 mi) land border with a seventh nation, Afghanistan, as part of its claim of the Kashmir region (see Durand Line).[2]
India co-hosts the joint ceremonies with the neighbouring nations at the following border crossings. The most attended and emotionally charged among these is the one at Wagha-Attari Border near Amritsar-Lahore.
India-Pakistan borderedit
At the following border crossing sites the beating retreat flag ceremonies are jointly held by the military of both nations every day at 6 pm, which are open to the public as tourist attractions.[6][7] No special permit or ticket is needed. From north to south, the ceremony sites are as follows:
India and China have five Border Personnel Meeting point (BPM points) where they hold the flag meeting to discuss the military matters as well as the ceremonial BPMs for cultural exchange to improve bilateral relations by celebrating New Year's Day (January 1),[11] India's Republic Day (January 26), Harvest Festival (April 14),[12]PLA Day ( May 15) and Indian Independence Day (August 15).[13] These meetings include the playing of each country's national anthem and saluting of their respective flags, and ceremonial addresses by representative of both armies.[12] On Indian side only Indian citizens are allowed to visit only 2 passes out of these several BPM passes/sites, Bum La Pass and Nathu La, only on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, only after obtaining Inner Line Permit (ILP) one day in advance.[14]
These BPM passes and border posts where these meetings are held, from west to east, are as follows:
Nathu La: The pass is used for pilgrims to monasteries in Sikkim such as Rumtek, one of the holiest shrines in Buddhism. For Hindus, the pass reduces the journey time to Lake Manasarovar from fifteen days to two days.[15]
Benapole–Petrapole border ceremony, a similar but much friendlier ceremony than the Indo-Pakistani Attari-Wagah ceremony, is held daily jointly by India's Border Security Force and Border Guards Bangladesh at India-Bangladesh border from 4.30 to 5 pm. It is open to civilians without any ticket or special permit.[16][17] The Benapole–Petrapole joint retreat ceremony results in lowering of national flags of India and Bangladesh.[18]
Designated crossings with ICP & LCSedit
The map of ICP and LCS.
Integrated Check Posts (ICP)edit
India has 7 functional ICPs, and plans are underway to upgrade 13 more LCS to ICP, including 7 at borders taking total of border ICP to 14, at the cost of ₹3,000 crore (US$380 million) (c. Oct 2017).[19][20] Designated Integrated Check Posts (ICP), with both customs and immigration facilities are:[21]
Karimganj–Golapganj uppozilla in Sylhet District of Bangladesh via Sutarkandi integrated checkpost crossing on NH37(India) and Sheola post (Sylhet division, Bangladesh), the plan announced c. Oct 2017.[19]
Shillong–Sylhet via Dawki ICP integrated checkpost crossing (Jaintia Hills, India) and Tambil post (Bangladesh). Dawki ICP foundation stone was laid in January 2017 and is in operation since 2018.[22]
Kawrpuichhuah – official spelling (also spelled as Kawarpuchiah or Kawripuichhuah) – near Tlabung in Lunglei district, opened in Oct 2017.[19][23][24] The 22 km long Lunglei–Tlabung–Kawrpuichhuah road was upgraded in 2014–2015 in a World Bank-funded project to enhance India-Bangladesh border connectivity.[25] It is located on Khawthalangtuipui river (Karnaphuli)
This proposed list of border bazaars and haats is in varying stages of implementation, as suggested by State Governments to the Ministry of External Affairs for setting up Border Haats.[21]
Pradeep Damodaran's book Borderlands: Travels Across India's Boundaries chronicles all land borders of India.[37] The Bollywood director J. P. Dutta has specialised in making Hindi movies with India's border as a key element of the theme, his movies are Border, Refugee, LOC: Kargil, Paltan, etc.[38]
^SSB to strengthen presence on India-Bhutan border, Times of India, 20 Dec 2017.
^"doklam: SSB to strengthen presence on India-Bhutan border | India News - Times of India". The Times of India. 20 December 2017.
^"Fishing rights disputes between India and Sri Lanka". Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
^ abcd5 crossing points in India: All you need to know, India Today, 10 OCt 2016.
^ abcdBeating Retreat Wagah India, CHanging Guards, accessed 8 July 2021.
^Sadqi retreat ceremony, nic.in, accessed 8 July 2021.
^Second Wagah: India, Pak agree to new ceremony, beating retreat on Punjab border, Hindustan Times, 201 April 2017.
^At Sadiqi border, strained Indo-Pak ties dampen spirits, The Tribune, 17 April 2019.
^"Indian, Chinese armies decide to improve ties at functional level". News18. 2 January 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
^ abYusuf, Jameel (April 14, 2016). "India, China officials meet on Ladakh border, pledge to maintain LAC sanctity". Deccn Chronicle. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
^"Bonhomie, friendship between Indian and Chinese border personnel at Nathu La". Sify. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
^Envis Team (4 June 2006). "Ecodestination of India-Sikkim Chapter" (PDF). Eco-destinations of India. The Environmental Information System (ENVIS), Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India. p. 45. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2007. Retrieved 1 December 2006.
^Vinayak, G (28 July 2004). "Nathu La: closed for review". The Rediff Special. Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2006. Retrieved 26 November 2006.
^"Retreat Ceremony at Indo–Bangladesh Border". PIB. Press Information Bureau. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
^Kumar, Satish (14 July 2015). India's National Security: Annual Review 2014. Routledge India. p. 512. ISBN 978-1138927438.
^"PETRAPOLE SET TO HAVE A SPECTACULAR RETREAT CEREMONY" (PDF). PRESS RELEASE. BORDER SECURITY FORCE. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
^What will you see if you visit the precise point where India ends and Sri Lanka begins?, Scroll.in, 1 March 2017.
^Adrian M. Athique, 2010, A Line in the Sand: The India–Pakistan Border in the Films of J.P. Dutta, Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies, University of Queensland, Pages 472-499.
External linksedit
MDoNER Northeast India and SAARC Trade Assessment report
List of countries that have ratified Law of the Sea Conventions