India and Pakistan are tense over a possible military offensive against its western neighbor days after the deadly attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, in the wake of rumors that New Delhi might launch a military campaign against its western neighbor.
In a picturesque meadow in Pahalgam, which only can be reached by foot or horseback, suspected rebels opened fire on male tourists as they emerged from the forests in the afternoon of April 22. A local Kashmiri pony rider and 25 tourists were killed.
The worst attack in Kashmir in a quarter-century sparked a string of diplomatic maneuvers by India and Pakistan, which have brought the nuclear-armed neighbors into imminent military conflict.
However, Kashmir is at the center of their tensions, despite India’s accusations of Pakistani involvement and Islamabad’s accusations that New Delhi has denied providing any proof to support its claims.
In the region of Kashmir it administers, India has responded to the Pahalgam attack by conducting numerous raids and demolitions of rebel-held homes. In some areas of the Kashmir valley, tourism has also been temporarily halted. Additionally, it is expeling Pakistanis who reside in India and Kashmir, including former rebel rebels’ families, which New Delhi had previously invited as part of a rehabilitation program.
Meanwhile, dozens of Kashmiris have reported experiencing physical assault, harassment, and leave threats in various cities across India.
Al Jazeera spoke with residents of the area about the impact the Pahalgam attack had had on their lives.
35-year-old adventure tour operator Ashiq Nabi
When the attack happened, I was in Pahalgam. We all found it shocking.
I immediately became aware of the impact of the incident as an architect and tourism planner working in Kashmir to create adventure tourism.
My work has been directly impacted by the government’s decision to shut down 48 tourist destinations and suspend all trekking activities following the attack. The months of planning, coordination with local partners, and scheduled expeditions abruptly came to an end.
Local guides, porters, and service personnel were dismissed as a result of the attack, which resulted in numerous cancellations, losses of money, and other staff dismissals, many of whom are solely dependent on seasonal tourism for income.
Beyond just business, the impact shook the confidence of tourists and stifled hundreds of people’s livelihoods along the tourism value chain.
My efforts to promote Kashmir as a safe, adventure-friendly destination have come to an abrupt end. Although my work has suffered a significant setback, I’m optimistic that things will get better, that more people will visit, and that the sector will regain its footfall.
I have no other choice but to hope because I’m very stressed out right now about my livelihood.
40-year-old tourist taxi driver Rameez Ahmad
The events that occurred in Pahalgam should never have occurred.
Our only source of income is destroyed by incidents like that, which don’t just cause panic. Since that day, there have been so many tourists that I haven’t taken a single ride in these days.
I wait patiently outside the door, hoping someone will call me, but the phone just stops ringing.
This year has already begun with some hope since March. Bookings were booming, and after years of struggle, it appeared as though we might finally experience a positive season. However, everything is now crashing in.
People like me, who have no government job, no land, and no business, will be left without money if this continues.
We can survive on tourism, but this incident has been very bad for me because I have no choice but to stay. I can’t save money on it. I need money to pay off my loans, my family, and my children. When visitors decline to visit, it’s more about how we’ll eat tomorrow than just a bad day at work.
A job seeker named as *Amir Ahmad 26
When the Pahalgam incident occurred, I was staying in a rented room in Srinagar, India’s largest city. I was ejected from central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district in response to reports of youth being taken across the border.
I was called to the neighborhood police station a few months earlier for a post I posted on social media that the police didn’t like. I was warned before being released, and I was then sent home. I have been confined to my home ever since I left the rented place I had previously rented. I’m not allowed to leave my house. I experience a wave of anxiety whenever I receive a call, which I believe might be from the police.
My mother had planned to have open-heart surgery in Delhi in a few days, but she is now too afraid to do so. One of my friends, a student, just came back and cautioned us that traveling at this level is incredibly dangerous. After the attacks against Kashmiri students, he had to rush home while he was a student in Punjab.
We are unsure about whether to worry about two meals, our job, our education, our homes being destroyed, or the political uncertainty that is roiling our worlds.
For some people, Kashmir may be a wonderland, a miniature of Switzerland, or a paradise, but for us, it is an open prison. Everyone experiences fear in their lives. What is the outlook?
Ajmal, a Bihar-born immigrant worker, age 21,
My sister and her husband have been raising children in Kashmir for more than ten years.
She also brought me here a few years ago. She never complained that she would suffer harm. She would frequently praise the locals and their warmth. That sparked my desire to try and establish a life here as well. I earn money by selling pani puri, a well-known street snack in South Asia, on a cart. Here, too, is excellent weather.
Fear was first sparked by the tourist attack, which did cause fear the day afterward. Without knowing what would occur, we were extremely afraid. However, people are gradually getting back to their daily routine and things are starting to normalize. Without much concern, I keep operating my stall and even shut it off late in the evening. So far, we feel secure.
For the moment, at least the atmosphere here doesn’t feel intimidating to outsiders.
*Safiya Jan, 40
I’m a native of Karachi, Pakistan. In 2014, I visited Kashmir for the families of the former rebels who had fled to Pakistan but had given up their weapons and settled there under the [Indian] government’s rehabilitation plan.
I moved to Kashmir after marrying my husband, who is from Baramulla, north of the country. I have lived in this house with him and our two daughters for the past ten years. Our current home is this.
I become concerned when I learn today that Pakistanis are being resent. My heart breaks, dear. I’m not interested in returning. How can I go home alone and leave my husband behind? I prefer to pass away than to be separated from my family. Please don’t let us leave, I beg the government, with folded hands.
Here are my daughters studying. Year after year, we have continued to build a life in Kashmir. Nobody is in danger of us. We only want to be able to live peacefully as a family.
Who on Earth would cut an arm or leg from the body if I was to be sent back?
Source: Aljazeera
Leave a Reply