TASS, August 12. The Pakistan Armed Forces have begun moving additional arms and equipment to its forward Skardu air base next to the Indian border, The Times of India reported on Monday.

"Three C-130 transport aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force were used on Saturday to ferry equipment to their Skardu air base opposite the Union Territory of Ladakh," unnamed sources told the newspaper. "Indian agencies concerned are keeping a close eye on the movement of Pakistanis along the border areas."

According to the sources, JF-17 fighters will be moved to Skardu air base soon to take part in the upcoming air forces’ drills.

These steps are taken amid heightened tensions in the relations between Islamabad and New Delhi, provoked by the Indian government’s decision to scrap the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir and create two new union territories in the region, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Pakistan is disputing the Indian authority over the region and has condemned the decision.

Currently, Islamist organization continue to operate in Jammu and Kashmir and aspire to secede from India to declare the region’s independence or join Pakistan. The line of control, which has served as a de facto border between the Indian and Pakistani parts of Kashmir, is constantly seeing conflicts leading to exacerbation of the existing situation.