A security staff member stands guard at a security post near the Pakistan-India border of Wagah, on the outskirts of Lahore, on May 1, 2025. (Credit: Arif Ali/AFP.)
Pakistani Kashmir called on Friday for its residents to stock food “for two months” and announced strengthening the supply to villages along the de facto border with the part of this region controlled by India, amid a surge in tensions between the two neighbors.
These announcements come as the Indian army reports exchanges of overnight gunfire for the eighth consecutive night between the armies of the two nuclear powers along the Line of Control (LoC), which divides the disputed region over 770 km. “Instructions have been given” for inhabitants to “stock food for two months in the 13 districts,” announced the Prime Minister of Pakistani Kashmir, Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq.
The regional government has also released an “emergency fund” of one billion rupees, or more than three million euros, notably to ensure the supply of “food, medicine, and other essentials,” he continued, addressing the local Parliament. In Muzaffarabad, the major city of Pakistani Kashmir, dozens of protesters gathered at the call of a coalition of Kashmiri parties, chanting “Death to India!” and calling for “Jihad!” according to an AFP journalist.
One of the organizers, Farooq Rahmani, told AFP that this march was “a demonstration of solidarity with the Pakistani army and condemnation of the Indian army.” “If India shows adventurism, we will respond firmly,” he added.
An attack that killed 26 civilians on April 22 in Indian Kashmir raises fears of a flare-up between the two traditionally rival countries, born in 1947 from a painful partition following the departure of the British colonizer. New Delhi holds Islamabad responsible for this attack that was never claimed. Pakistan denies any involvement. On Tuesday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the green light for a military “response.” Since then, Pakistan claims to have “credible information” about an imminent Indian strike. Anticipating military actions, Pakistani Kashmir has closed its 1,100 religious schools for ten days. In the 6,000 public schools, still open, local authorities launched first aid training a few days ago.
