Pakistani police fired tear gas and shots into the air today to disperse hundreds of villagers trying to approach a border crossing with India in Kashmir.
The crossing was opened to facilitate earthquake relief efforts.Villagers had shouted "Let people cross" and "What we want is freedom" as they approached the Line of Control, the de facto border that separates Pakistani and Indian Kashmir.
A Pakistani army officer (L) and an Indian army officer (R) shake hands at the Line of Control
The opening was a largely symbolic gesture to help survivors of the October 8th earthquake that killed more than 74,000 people.
India handed tents for earthquake victims to Pakistan at the much-heralded opening.
A Pakistani and Indian officer shook hands across a white line painted at the Rawalakot-Punch border crossing set up near the Punch River, and they declared it open for aid exchanges.
Trucks then backed up to the line, about five metres apart, and porters from the Indian side handed sacks full of tents to counterparts on the Pakistani side, who loaded them on their truck.
The predominantly Muslim territory of Kashmir was split between Hindu-dominated India and Muslim-dominated Pakistan after the bloody partition of the subcontinent following independence from Britain in 1947.
Both countries claim all of Kashmir in a dispute that has sparked two wars and kept families separated for more than half a century. Many Kashmiris have said they want to cross the border, called the Line of Control, to see if relatives on the other side survived the quake, but some just want to be free to cross as they please.
As part of the border accord, Pakistan and India agreed to exchange lists of people intending to cross, with the other side then having 10 days to approve the names.
An Indian military official has said the lists need to be scrutinised to ensure they don't include militants.