India parades military might

India shows its military might on Republic Day

NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- A day after India test-launched a nuclear-capable ballistic missile, the nation has paraded the weapon during the country's Republic Day celebration in New Delhi.

India on Friday conducted what it called a successful testing of the military's Agni I intermediate-range ballistic missile, sparking condemnation from Pakistan, which said the firing was ill-timed given the bristling tensions between the two foes.

India's 53rd annual Republic Day comes amid unprecedented security as its troops and Pakistani forces stand poised on their common border in a tense standoff.

The day, which commemorates India's founding as a republic, is the country's main national holiday and is an opportunity for the government to display its cultural diversity and military might.

But the main parade in New Delhi has been scaled down this year because much of India's military have been deployed along the border with Pakistan.

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There were no marching contingents of Indian combat troops because the forces have been mobilized. There were no heavy armor and tanks on display during the parade because of the border deployment.

Snipers

Heavily-armed troops lined New Delhi streets and soldiers guarded major intersections as air force helicopters flew over the city ahead of the Republic Day parade. The parade ended without incident.

Snipers have been placed on all high-rises in the area, private traffic has been banned around the parade route, roads sealed off and commandos with AK-47s and bullet proof vests are on alert in makeshift posts made from sandbags. There are 65,000 police officers on duty in New Delhi.

Both countries have long been at odds over the status of the territory of Kashmir. Tensions have increased between India and Pakistan after recent terror attacks in India, the latest earlier this week on a U.S. government building in Kolkata.

An estimated one million Indian and Pakistani forces are deployed along the border after attacks on India's Parliament last month. India has blamed this attack and an October terror action on the legislature in Srinigar in India-administered Kashmir in October on Pakistani-based militants.

Indian authorities fear militants could time an attack on Republic Day for maximum impact.