Pakistan said today it had begun withdrawing troops from its western border with Afghanistan to reinforce its tense eastern border with arch-rival India.
A military spokesman said the withdrawal had begun from the Afghan border, where Pakistan has deployed thousands of troops since late last year to help US-led forces hunting al-Qaeda and Taliban militants fleeing from Afghanistan.
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An Indian Border Security Force (BSF) trooper stands guard in Srinagar. Near the frontier of disputed Kashmir.
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Meanwhile in India, at least 14 people - three Indian army soldiers and 11 civilians - were killed in artillery shelling and mortar fire from the Pakistani side.
Pakistan Television reported that 14 civilians were killed in Pakistan by Indian shelling overnight.
Indian security forces have also killed two suspected Muslim separatist militants, ending a siege in a police camp in Kashmir that left three policemen shot dead.
The assault came two weeks after three men, identified by India as Pakistan-based militants, raided an army camp in Kashmir and killed more than 30 people before being shot dead.
The reported deaths come hours after British Home Secretary Mr Jack Straw urged the nuclear-armed neighbours to pull back from the brink of war.
The shelling resumed soon after Mr Straw left the subcontinent after visiting Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
In Washington, the US State Department warned that "irresponsible elements" in India and Pakistan could spark a conflict against the wishes of both leaders.
"The climate is very charged and a serious conflagration could ensue if events spiral out of control," spokesman Mr Richard Boucher said.
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