Kashmiris watch, wait and prepare for war

AJK govt orders food stockpiling; sets up Rs10 fund

MUZAFFARABAD/CHAKOTHI/CHURANDA:

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir administration called on residents near the Line of Control (LoC) to stockpile food on Friday as tensions flare between the arch-rivals following a deadly attack last month.

"Instructions have been issued to stock food supplies for two months in the 13 constituencies along the Line of Control (LoC)," AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwar ul Haq told the Legislative Council on Friday.

The government has also created an emergency fund of Rs1 billion ($3.5 million) to ensure the supply of "food, medicines and all other basic necessities" to the 13 constituencies, he said.

Government and privately-owned machinery was also being deployed to maintain roads in the areas along the LoC, he said.

In Muzaffarabad, dozens of protesters rallied under the banner of a Kashmiri political coalition, chanting "Death to India" and calling for "Jihad", according to an AFP journalist.

"This protest march is a show of solidarity with the Pakistan military," Farooq Rahmani, one of the organisers of the protest told AFP.

"If there is any misadventure (by India), we are ready to respond firmly," he added.

War fear

Nestled between mountains in the Indian-Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, teachers lead school children in the village of Churanda in morning prayers, asking that the sound of swaying walnut trees and cooing birds not be replaced by the roaring of artillery.

Though children attended class as usual, "fear among the parents is running high" said teacher Farooq Ahmad, following a deadly attack on tourists which many on both sides of the Line of Control worry could lead to conflict.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars over Kashmir, and countless clashes at the border over the decades. So residents have become used to watching and waiting with dread when tensions between the neighbours soar

From Churanda, both Pakistani and Indian soldiers can be seen at their outposts. Elders say at least 18 people have been killed in the village in firing between the two sides over the last few decades. "There are six bunkers in the village for the population of 1500. Both sides are threatening each other. If there is border escalation, where will we go? Fear is there as this village is the worst hit," said Abdul Aziz, a 25-year old resident.

On the opposite in AJK, residents of Chakothi village prepared fortified shelters that dot the hillsides near their homes. "People have built bunkers in their homes. They go in the bunkers whenever there is some firing," said Faizan Anayat, 22, who was visiting family on a trip back to Kashmir from Rawalpindi where he works as an air conditioning technician.

One of his neighbours, Mohammad Nazir, 73, took a break from preparing the bunker to go to the mosque for Friday prayers as his family's children played cricket near its entrance. "We are not afraid of anything," said Nazir. "Every one of our kids is ready."

The head of the Kashmir branch of the Pakistan Red Crescent, Gulzar Fatima, said as soon as the relief group saw tensions rise, they began to mobilise supplies and staff, including first aid providers.

In the event of Indian military action, they expect a large-scale migration of people from around the line of control, and were preparing relief camps with tents, hygiene kits and cooking equipment for at least 500 families, she said.