All is well: Businesses near LoC thriving

Merchants, business owners not worried about ongoing tensions with India

MUZAFFARABAD: Despite heightened tension between Pakistan and India, people living along the Line of Control (LoC) areas are carrying on their business as usual without any fear.

“We know that India has been trying its best to exploit Uri attack to launch an offensive  against Pakistan. We are mentally ready to respond  to the Indian threat  in the same tone and tenor along with our armed forces. Our army is ready and we will cooperate with them at any time to respond  to the enemy’s aggression,” said  Zaman Chaudhry, resident of  Khilhana area of Chakothi sector  while talking to The Express Tribune. Besides the general public, business community of both Chakothi and Chinari areas are also in high spirits to defend the motherland.

“We are proud of our brave army which is  the last hope of the people of AJK and during any war against India traders of the whole Chakothi sector would be at the front of Pak Army to turn the Indian administered Kashmir  side into a graveyard of Indian soldiers,” business owner Khwaja  Rehmat said. In 2003 Pakistan and India had reached an agreement to maintain ceasefire and peace along the LoC.

“We can pray for peace and security. It is now the responsibility of both the countries to respect the sanctity of the ceasefire for  everlasting peace in the region. Any misadventure from the Indian side will serve  to escalate the conflict from LoC to international borders and then Pakistani troops will take  this war inside India,” said Ejaz Mir, a resident of Chinari.

Khawaja Awais runs a chain of rest houses in the 200 kilometers long Neelum Valley from Karen to Sharda. He said that thousands of tourists come to enjoy the natural beauty of Neelum Valley and after the Uri attack there was zero movement in Indian administered Kashmir. People in AJK, however, were still working and enjoying their life as normal since they know that India will never try to repeat the past mistake of  attacking along the LoC.

“War is not the solution to any problem and if India plans to attack us then they will face the same retaliation from Pakistan army which has  full support of its people. In Indian administered Kashmir, the Indian troops will first have to face  Kashmiris also who are too support Pakistan army,” Awais added.

AJK Legislative Assembly Speaker Shah Ghulam Qadir, who won the recent elections from Neelum Valley, told The Express Tribune that the hustle and bustle in the remote areas of Neelum close to the LoC was ample proof that they have confidence in  Pakistan’s  armed forces and that during any misadventure from the Indian side the entire population of Neelum Valley would fight against the enemy alongside Pakistani soldiers.

Qadir reiterated that India did not have the stomach fight against Pakistan and troop build up on the Indian side of LoC was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attempt to hoodwink his nation and divert world attention from the rising human rights violations in Indian administered Kashmir.

Khawaj Fayaz a working journalist based in Athmuqam, the district headquarters of Neelum Valley, said that he knows that in a war between Pakistan and India the people in Authmuqam city can be easily targeted by Indian forces. But the people know that India will not repeat the 2003 mistake of violating the ceasefire. If India did violate the ceasefire, then it would face strong retaliation from Pakistani forces.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 27^th, 2016.