Pakistan to India Map: The Complete Border Guide
Every kilometre of the 3,323 km frontier — the Radcliffe Line, the Line of Control, the crossings, and the history written into the map.
Last updated: 11 October 2026
Quick answer: Pakistan sits directly west of India, sharing a 3,323-kilometre border that runs from the Arabian Sea up through Sindh/Gujarat, Rajasthan and Punjab to Kashmir. The southern and central stretches follow the Radcliffe Line drawn in 1947; in Kashmir the boundary is the Line of Control, a military line rather than a settled border. The only road crossing, Wagah-Attari between Lahore and Amritsar, is currently closed to ordinary travellers, with the visa-free Kartarpur Corridor serving Sikh pilgrims separately.
At a glance
The Pakistan–India frontier in numbers
The figures behind one of the world’s most watched borders.
km of total border
Radcliffe Line plus the Line of Control — among the longest bilateral frontiers in South Asia.
The Radcliffe Line
Drawn in five weeks by Sir Cyril Radcliffe and announced on 17 August 1947, two days after independence.
km Line of Control
The militarised de facto boundary across Kashmir — not an international border.
Road crossing
Wagah-Attari on the Grand Trunk Road — currently closed to ordinary passenger traffic.
Reading the map
The four segments of the border
The Pakistan–India frontier is not one line but four distinct stretches, each with its own history and legal status. Our India–Pakistan border map guide examines each in detail.
The Radcliffe Line: Sindh – Gujarat
From the Arabian Sea coast near the disputed Sir Creek marshes, the line runs north through the Thar Desert. This is settled international boundary, fenced and patrolled, with the Khokhrapar–Munabao rail crossing (currently suspended) as its only gate.
The Radcliffe Line: Punjab – Rajasthan
The long desert and farmland stretch through Rajasthan — the quietest sector of the frontier, but fully fenced with floodlit border outposts on both sides.
The Radcliffe Line & Working Boundary: Punjab
Between Pakistani Punjab and Indian Punjab runs the most famous stretch: the Wagah-Attari crossing on the Grand Trunk Road, 24 km from Lahore and 32 km from Amritsar, home of the daily flag ceremony since 1959.
The Line of Control
North of Punjab the settled border ends. Across Kashmir runs the ~740 km LoC — a military control line formalised in 1972, heavily fortified, and the site of the 1999 Kargil conflict and recurring ceasefire violations.
South to north
Border segments: what lies on each side
Travelling the frontier from the Arabian Sea to the Karakoram — Pakistani regions on the west, Indian states on the east.
| Segment | Pakistan side | India side | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coast & Thar | Sindh (Karachi, Tharparkar) | Gujarat (Kutch) | International border; Sir Creek marshes disputed |
| Desert | Sindh / Punjab (Bahawalpur) | Rajasthan (Jaisalmer, Barmer) | International border, fenced |
| Central Punjab | Punjab (Lahore, Kasur, Sialkot) | Punjab (Amritsar, Gurdaspur) | International border / Working Boundary; Wagah-Attari crossing |
| Kashmir | Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan | Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh | Line of Control — military line, not settled border |
The Working Boundary — the stretch between Sialkot (Pakistan) and Jammu (India) — is treated by Pakistan as a working boundary rather than a fully settled international border, one of several legal nuances that make this frontier unique.
Gates in the fence
Crossings: how the border can be crossed
For a 3,323 km frontier, the gates can be counted on one hand — and most are currently shut.
Wagah–Attari
The only road crossing: Grand Trunk Road, Lahore–Amritsar. Site of the famous Beating Retreat ceremony. Currently closed to ordinary passenger travel after the May 2025 clashes.
Kartarpur Corridor
A 4.5 km visa-free corridor opened in November 2019 linking Dera Baba Nanak (India) to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur (Pakistan). For Sikh pilgrims only, same-day return.
Khokhrapar–Munabao
The Thar Express rail link between Karachi and Jodhpur. Suspended — like all scheduled rail and bus services between the two countries.
The Wagah ceremony itself deserves the trip: every evening before sunset, crowds pack the amphitheatres on both sides as Pakistan Rangers and India’s Border Security Force perform a synchronised, high-kicking flag-lowering — part military drill, part theatre, cheered like a cricket match. It has run daily since 1959, paused only briefly (even the COVID years saw a stripped-down version), and remains the one place where the two countries perform their rivalry face to face.
In practice, almost all Pakistan–India travel in 2026 routes through third countries (usually the Gulf), making the frontier one of the least permeable borders of its length anywhere in the world.
The disputed north
The Line of Control and Kashmir
North of Punjab, cartography gives way to military reality.
The Line of Control traces the 1949 UN ceasefire line, renamed by the 1972 Simla Agreement. It divides Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan (administered by Pakistan) from Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh (administered by India) — with China holding Aksai Chin to the east and the Shaksgam Valley ceded by Pakistan in 1963. It is among the most militarised zones on earth: fenced, mined in stretches, and monitored under a 2003 ceasefire understanding that has been tested repeatedly, most severely during the 1999 Kargil conflict and the May 2025 clashes.
For map readers, the key distinction: south of the LoC the border is settled law (the Radcliffe Line); along the LoC it is controlled fact. Any Indo–Pak map that draws Kashmir as a single clean line is simplifying one of the world’s most complex boundaries.
The human geography matters as much as the military kind: divided families, split villages and a shared language straddle the LoC, and periodic cross-LoC bus services and trade — suspended since 2019 — once offered a glimpse of what a softer frontier could look like. Until politics changes, the map’s dotted line remains one of the world’s hardest borders to cross.
Map reading
Five things every Pakistan–India map reveals
What to look for when you open any map of the two countries.
The dashed north
Kashmir is the only part of the map drawn with dotted, dashed or shaded lines — the cartographic signature of dispute. Compare how Pakistani, Indian and UN maps draw it differently: each reflects its maker’s claim.
The straight desert, the jagged Punjab
In Rajasthan the Radcliffe Line runs ruler-straight through empty desert; in Punjab it zigzags around villages and canals — you can literally see where the boundary commission ran out of time.
The river system
The Indus and its tributaries (Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) flow from India into Pakistan — which is why the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, dividing the rivers between the two countries, matters as much as any border line. In 2025 the treaty itself became a flashpoint after India suspended participation following the Pahalgam attack.
The missing roads
Count the road crossings: one. The Grand Trunk Road — the ancient artery from Kabul to Kolkata — simply stops at Wagah. Few borders of this length are this impermeable.
The Karakoram link
Look north: the Khunjerab Pass connects Pakistan to China via the Karakoram Highway — the map’s reminder that this frontier is also the western anchor of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor.
Two Punjabs, one culture
Lahore and Amritsar — 50 km apart, one language, one cuisine, divided 1947 — sit closer on the map than either does to its own capital. The map measures the distance politics put between them.
How the line was drawn
Key dates on the frontier
Partition and the Radcliffe Line
Sir Cyril Radcliffe’s boundary award, drawn in five weeks, is announced on 17 August — dividing Punjab and Bengal and triggering one of history’s largest migrations.
Ceasefire line in Kashmir
The UN-brokered Karachi Agreement formalises the ceasefire line after the first Kashmir war — the ancestor of today’s LoC.
The Wagah ceremony begins
Pakistan Rangers and India’s Border Security Force begin the joint Beating Retreat ceremony, now a daily spectacle.
Simla Agreement
After the 1971 war, the ceasefire line is renamed the Line of Control, with both sides committing to resolve differences bilaterally.
Kartarpur Corridor opens
The visa-free pilgrim corridor opens for Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary — a rare opening in a closing border.
Border sealed
Following the deadly May 2025 clashes — the worst fighting since 1999 — the Wagah-Attari crossing closes to ordinary traffic.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Where is Pakistan located relative to India?
Pakistan lies to the west and northwest of India. The two countries share a 3,323-kilometre border running from the Arabian Sea coast (Gujarat/Sindh) north through Rajasthan and Punjab to the disputed Kashmir region, where the Line of Control separates the two sides.
What is the border line between India and Pakistan called?
The international border is called the Radcliffe Line, named after Sir Cyril Radcliffe, who chaired the boundary commissions that divided British India in 1947. In Kashmir, the de facto boundary is the Line of Control (LoC), established after the 1972 Simla Agreement.
Can you travel from Pakistan to India by road?
The only road crossing is Wagah-Attari, on the Grand Trunk Road between Lahore and Amritsar. As of 2026 it remains closed to ordinary passenger travel following the May 2025 clashes; a separate visa-free Kartarpur Corridor serves Sikh pilgrims visiting Gurdwara Darbar Sahib.
How long is the India-Pakistan border?
About 3,323 kilometres (2,065 miles) in total. That figure includes the Radcliffe Line international boundary and the roughly 740-kilometre Line of Control in Kashmir. Excluding the LoC, the settled international border is about 2,545 kilometres.
What is the Wagah border ceremony?
The Beating Retreat ceremony held daily before sunset at the Wagah-Attari crossing since 1959, conducted jointly by Pakistan Rangers and India’s Border Security Force. It is a major tourist attraction on both sides, drawing large crowds to watch the synchronised flag-lowering.
What is the Line of Control (LoC)?
The 740-kilometre military control line dividing Pakistani-administered Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan from Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. It is not an international border — it was formalised as a ceasefire line in 1949 and renamed the LoC in 1972 — and remains one of the world’s most militarised frontiers.
Explore Pakistan’s geography
From the Karakoram to the Arabian Sea — maps, regions and the land itself, in our Pakistan Geography collection.
Maps: UN South Asia map (United Nations); Kashmir region map (Wikimedia Commons). Boundary depictions follow the sources cited; the final status of Jammu and Kashmir remains disputed. This guide is maintained by the Feature Pakistan desk.