The announcement came as Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes visited the frontline in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Meanwhile, Indian soldiers exchanged heavy artillery fire and buried landmines in the remaining few positions held by fighters in the Kargil mountains.

And in fresh violence in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, a politician was shot dead by suspected Muslim militants in Srinagar, the summer capital.

Round-the-clock vigil

Indian troops will be permanently positioned along the 740-km long Line of Control to protect it from fresh intrusion, India's defence minister told the domestic PTI news agency.

George Fernandes inspects a rocket launcher in Kargil

"We must take quick steps to make the entire area secure as Pakistan has demonstrated its betrayal of trust," Mr Fernandes said.

The soldiers will be aided by aerial and electronic surveillance using satellites.

Meanwhile, fighting continued for a fourth day in the mountains along the Line of Control near Drass, Batalik and the Muskoh Valley, as India fought to free them of occupation.

(Click here to see a map of the area)

Reports say Pakistan responded to the fighting with heavy artillery fire, damaging buildings and forcing residents to flee.

Indian army authorities said a Pakistan air force helicopter entered Indian airspace over the Kaskar area in Kargil on Thursday.

They said Indian troops fired at the helicopter and it flew back to the Pakistani side of the Line of Control.

Politician killed

Unidentified gunmen, suspected to be Muslim militants, killed a politician belonging to India's Congress party in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday.

Civilians in Drass wait to be evacuated

Habibullah Wani, a local Congress activist, was shot dead in a Srinagar street. No-one has admitted to carrying out the attack.

Three separatist militants were also killed in a clash with Indian soldiers near the border town of Uri.

Following renewed artillery shelling over the past few days, BBC Srinagar Correspondent Altaf Hussein reported that a fresh exodus has begun in Drass town.

He said a third of the town's population had returned to their homes after the fighting ended last week. But on Thursday, three buses carried people out of Drass to Sanku, 40 kms away.

Earlier, Pakistan called on India to return territory it says has been seized from Pakistan's side of the Line of Control.

In a speech to parliament, Pakistan Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz said India had seized 2,500 sq km of territory inside Pakistani-administered Kashmir, including the 20,000 ft high Siachen glacier, in encroachments since 1972.

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