Pinching pigeons over line of control

IN THE skies above the bunkers where Indian and Pakistani soldiers trade gunfire, masters of an ancient sport beloved on both sides seek to snatch prized pigeons from the other.

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Indian breeder Pyara Singh spends his days trying to lure Pakistani birds from across the Himalayan valley, and guard against rivals wooing his flock.

“We get pigeons from Pakistan - we catch them,” said 33-year-old Singh, watching as some of his feathered favourites twisted like jets overhead. “We also often lose our pigeons to them”.

An attack in Indian-administered Kashmir last month that New Delhi blames on Islamabad has sparked fears of renewed conflict between the nuclear-armed arch-rivals.

Pakistan insists it was not involved in the April 22 killings of 26 mainly Hindu men, but Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to respond.

Like every night since April 26, India’s army said Monday that its troops had exchanged gunfire with Pakistani soldiers overnight across the de facto frontier in contested Kashmir.

Pigeon fanciers across the divide can't meet face-to-face, but share the same passion. Breeders say the top birds can be worth hundreds of dollars.