Pahalgam Attack Aftermath: LoC Residents Fear War as India-Pakistan Tensions Escalate”

Pahalgam Attack Aftermath: Authorities in Pakistan-administered Kashmir have shut more than 1,000 religious schools over fears of possible retaliatory military action from India over last week’s deadly attack in the disputed region, as tensions soar between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

India blames Pakistan for the gun attack that killed 26 people on April 22 in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi providing his military “complete operational freedom” to deal with it.

Denying any involvement in the attack, Pakistan has said it has “credible evidence” that India is now planning an imminent military strike, promising that “any act of aggression will be met with a decisive response”.

Also Read: Bas Ghoom Lo, Kaam Toh Yahi Karna Hai Na’: Indian Employee Faces Passive-Aggressive Comments After Europe Trip

Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said in a televised statement early on Wednesday that the attack could take place in the “next 24 to 36 hours”

Village Churanda near the Line of Control in Uri sector witnesses morning prayers, children rushing to school, and trees swaying in the breeze.

Farooq Ahmad, a teacher at the local school, said that even though children are attending classes as usual, it is the parents among whom “fear is running high,” news agency Reuters reported.

The village is located in such a spot that both Indian and Pakistani soldiers can be seen deployed at their outposts. Reportedly, at least 18 people have been killed in the village due to crossfire between the two sides over the last few decades.

Also Read: Pahalgam Attack LIVE: JD Vance Urges Pakistan’s Cooperation in Terror Probe

A 25-year-old resident of Churanda, Abdul Aziz, noted that for a population of 1,500, there are six bunkers in the village. “Both sides are threatening each other. If there is a border escalation, where will we go? Fear is prevalent, as this village is the worst hit,” he added.

About 1.5 million people live near the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where residents are also readying simple, mud-walled underground bunkers – reinforced with concrete if they can afford it.

“For one week we have been living in constant fear, particularly concerning the safety of our children,” Iftikhar Ahmad Mir, a 44-year-old shopkeeper in Chakothi near the LoC, told AFP.

“We make sure they don’t roam around after finishing their school and come straight home.”

Emergency services workers in Muzaffarabad, the main city in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, have also begun training schoolchildren on what to do if India attacks.

“We have learned how to dress a wounded person, how to carry someone on a stretcher and how to put out a fire,” said 11-year-old Ali Raza.

Also Read: Shah Rukh Khan Rejects ‘Insider vs Outsider’ Debate: ‘It Doesn’t Matter Where You Come From