INDIA-PAK BORDER, 10 July — The conflict between India and Pakistan on Kashmir remains unresolved despite regional and international peace initiatives.
The escalating tension on the joint border recently reached the verge of total nuclear war. The people of Kashmir believe that if another war breaks out it will be devastating and will be different from earlier wars.
When Arab News visited the border region in Azad Kashmir a few weeks ago, the situation was quite explosive. Both countries had mobilized their forces in preparation for an all-out war. Hundreds of people on both sides have been killed and injured in cross-border firing over the past months.
Arab News spent about 100 hours in Pakistani Kashmir and found several houses, markets, schools, hospitals and farms had been destroyed as a result of Indian bombardment. We also visited refugee camps populated by Kashmiris who fled atrocities in Indian-held Kashmir.
Arab News met Sardar Muhammad Abdul Qayyoom, former prime minister of Azad Kashmir and chairman of the National Committee on Kashmir, at his house in Rawalpindi. He told us: “Your trip to Kashmir will be dangerous, especially after the latest escalation on the border. Both sides have taken combat positions. You can stay here in Islamabad and we can provide you with the information you require.” My answer was: “I have decided to visit the border regions to get first hand knowledge of what is happening there.”
We went by car from Islamabad to Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Kashmir. Our journey took about four hours and we traveled 150 kilometers of mostly mountainous and rugged roads. When we arrived in Muzaffarabad it was 5 p.m.
Rahmat Ali of the information department in Azad Kashmir said that people had seen human body parts in the Jhelum River, thrown there by Hindus to frighten the Kashmiris. “One day they saw the head of a Kashmiri woman separated from her body. It was reportedly thrown there by Indians who had raped her.” We heard many such also horrible stories and we saw several poor families living in tents on the riverbank.
Most Kashmiris depend on the radio for news. They also prefer to spend their time outside their houses. The unemployment rate among Kashmiris is very high. Many of them work in small shops and engage in small-scale businesses. Despite all its difficulties, victims and martyrs. It also takes care of refugees who flee from Indian-held Kashmir.
One sees a large number of handicapped, including those who have lost legs or arms during the war. We heard an inspiring story. A Kashmiri father in appreciation for what these men had done for their country married his five daughters — among whom were doctors and teachers — to the handicapped and blind Kashmiri fighters without asking for any money.
Most products in Kashmir come from Pakistan. Kashmiri shawls are famous. However one needs to know how to select the best ones whose prices range from 500 to 20,000 rupees ($9 to $360).
While we were in the hotel, we heard that eight people had been killed and 12 others, including women and children, had been wounded in the latest Indian firing. We had to cancel our visit to the market due to the sudden Indian attack.
The next day we were the guests of Kashmiri Prime Minister Iskandar Hayat Khan. I was eager to meet him to find out about the Indian attack. Qaisar Muhammad Ramadan of the Kashmiri Committee told me that people in Kashmir were accustomed to such attacks. “You will not find a single house in Kashmir without its martyr or wounded. Now people are preparing themselves for a war,” he added. Kashmiris appreciate the Pakistan government’s unwavering support for their cause. I saw a large banner on a mountain, which read “Kashmir will become Pakistan”.
Prime Minister Hayat Khan told me that the situation on the border was explosive. He spoke of Indian atrocities against Kashmiris. He said New Delhi was forcing Kashmiri Muslims to leave the country in order to replace them with Hindus and Christians in preparation for a future referendum. The prime minister urged the international community to thwart Indian designs.
He also believed that the United States was not serious in solving the Kashmir issue because it will have no interest in the region after the war on Afghanistan. “The attitude toward Kashmir changed after Sept. 11. Indians are now trying to portray Kashmiri fighters as terrorists.
“We are badly in need of foreign assistance but we don’t receive any aid from Islamic countries. The Islamic Development Bank provides assistance to the Kashmiris on the Indian side. They don’t give us anything. We are in need of medicines, foodstuffs and other basic supplies. We often take our patients to Pakistani hospitals.” He said that about 10 Kashmiris are killed and 50 others are injured in Indian attacks every day. “But the international community is doing nothing,” the premier said.
We visited a refugee camp in Chakothi, one of the 15 camps set up by the Kashmiri government. Some 30,000 refugees are there. The refugees talked about the tragedy of Kashmiris living on the Indian side.
The majority in these camps are women, children and the elderly and their health is generally bad. The government pays 750 rupees to each one of them, but they are not allowed to move around the Kashmiri towns. The refugees are in need of food, medicine and other basic requirements. In the camp, which is near the border, we saw several shops destroyed by Indian gunfire. We also saw many Kashmiris wounded in the border firing. Many Kashmiris, who once lived on the border, have left the area, fearing war. Nine were killed and fifteen injured on the day we visited the camp.
Muhammad Shabir said his wife Taadima, 25, was killed while she was going home to protect her four children. Almost every family in Chakothi has lost loved ones as a result of haphazard Indian firing.
While we were being shown destroyed schools and mosques in a border district, we were caught off guard by another Indian attack and we had to take refuge in a bunker. At least 14 people plus some animals were wounded. People in border areas live in total fear as nobody knows who will be killed next.
Iftikar Sheikh, a resident of Chakothi, told Arab News that the people of the region are accustomed to the attacks. Schools in the region have stopped functioning due to the firing by Indian forces. There are 140,000 people in the region and about 50,000 of them live along the border. Hajeera is another border town where fifteen were killed and sixty-eight were injured over the past weeks. As many as 290 houses have been completely destroyed. When we visited the market, we found people rebuilding their destroyed houses. Sharif, who speaks Arabic fluently due to time spent in the UAE, told Arab News he had repaired his house several times.
Qari Ahmad, another resident, emphasized the importance of solving the Kashmir issue as early as possible to end the ongoing bloodbath and destruction. Kashmir was once a world-class tourist resort, but the conflict between India and Pakistan must end in order for international tourists to enjoy this paradise on earth once again.
