CNN
–
Mohammad Iqbal was working a night shift at the power plant when he received a desperate call from his family that shells were exploding around the house.
“I told them all to hunt in one room together on the ground floor, but hopefully things will be fine by the morning,” he told CNN.
However, Dawn did not bring relief from the four-day artillery fire as India and Pakistan fought the most fierce conflicts of decades and caused the fear of full war.
Iqbal, 47, lives near Poonch in the Indian-controlled Kashmir town, a region of stone throwing, pine-covered hills and flowery meadows, turning his back on towering, icy peaks.
But idyllicism is fantastic. Kashmir is one of the most militarized regions in the world and is the trigger for multiple wars between India and Pakistan, both fully claiming territory but partially controlling.
Last week, nuclear-armed neighbors exchanged missiles, drones and artillery fires for four days after New Delhi denounced its neighbors after the Indian-controlled massacre of tourists in Kashmir.
Two hours after the shooting began last Wednesday, Iqbal got the news that his brother-in-law’s home had been attacked.
Shell explodes in a nearby aquarium, exploding the windows, sending pieces of glass, and bumping into her stepbrother and nie.
What followed was a desperate scramble to take the injured person to the nearest hospital.
“When people started evacuating, there were a few people in the village who had cars, so people poured them into vehicles they could find,” Iqbal said.
“It was difficult to find everyone for a few hours. People split up. But finally my family came together in the hospital.”
There he found a brother-in-law. He works as a police officer, suffers severe injuries and has struggled for medical staff to treat an influx of casualties.
Iqbal’s brother-in-law survived. But his two neighbors weren’t.
Pakistan said on Tuesday that 40 civilians were killed in India’s firing, 121 were injured and 11 members of its army were killed. India has previously said that 15 civilians have been killed, 59 people have been injured and five soldiers have been lost.
For around 15 million people living in disputed areas, the latest hostilities seemed to promote political solutions for their homes more than ever before.
However, the immediate concern on both sides of Kashmir is the time when the sky stays quiet.
“There’s an uneasy calm here,” Amir Choudhary, 25, of the town of Aquinor in India, told CNN on Sunday hours after the ceasefire took effect.
“The market is open again, and some of those who left have slowly come back,” he said.
“There’s still some anxiety about what will happen when the night comes,” he added.
On the other side of control, in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, Saima Ashraf shared those feelings.
“Uncertainty still prevails,” she said. “It’s not a lasting solution that many people believe it is (a ceasefire).”
Others are unclear when they will be able to return to their homes or villages.
“Many of them are waiting to see how the situation develops before they decide to return,” Akhtar Ayoub, a local government official in Pakistan’s Neelam Valley, told Reuters.
Raja Shokat Iqbal, who lives near the de facto border, described the ceasefire as “essential to the people of Kashmir,” who said it was paying high prices on both sides of the gap.
“The two countries needed this peace at the international level as nuclear power, the mistakes and rage of any nation could cause 2 billion deaths,” he assumed.
Kashmir has been a flash point since 1947 when British India was quickly split into two by its former colonial rulers.
It was then the birth of two countries: India, a majority of Hinduism and Pakistan, a majority of Muslims. Millions suddenly found themselves on the “wrong” side of the new border, leading to a desperate, bloody massive movement that tores the community.
Kashmir, a Muslim majority state led by a Hindu monarch, was in a unique position. Pakistan claimed territory, and the prince chose India.
Two countries grabbed by fervent nationalism, both Pakistan and India believe that the majority of Muslim Kashmir is an integral part of their country.
In the case of Pakistan, founded as the home of South Asian Muslims, the Kashmir division is considered a historical injustice in the tomb.
The country’s powerful army is run by general Asim Munier, known for his hard-line attitude towards India. According to local media reports, he described Kashmir as Pakistan’s “jugular vein” just weeks before the latest conflict.
India has long accused Pakistan of funding Kashmir terrorist groups. This is the charge that was rejected by Islamabad. Meanwhile, Pakistan is trying to position the cause of violence in the region as a result of alleged “oppression” in New Delhi.
Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pushed for a more uncompromising position on the contested land.
In 2019, his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government divided the previous state into two union territories, and took control of the Muslim majority region on a larger scale to the government of New Delhi.
India and Pakistan both claim victory from the latest conflict.
New Delhi says that the strikes within Pakistan’s deepest territory since one of the 1971 wars have eradicated the terrorist camps used to plan attacks on India, including the tourist genocide that sparked last month’s conflict.
According to Pakistan, the Air Force has shot down five Indian fighter jets, including advanced Lafale fighters made in France.
On Monday, in his first statement since the battle began, Modi said India “just paused our reactive attacks on Pakistan’s fear and the military hub.”
“We will measure every step of Pakistan in the coming days,” he said.
People on both sides of the border have long lived under the threat of artillery fire and strike.
A student from Uri, India-controlled by Kashmir, described CNN, who was awake when the sounds of artillery shook his home last week.
“We sat in silence and very petrified,” he said. “Praying for the next target is not in our family or our home.”
Students who CNN has not named it for security reasons described a moment of jubilation when they heard the news that they had announced a ceasefire.
“The smiles smeared over our faces and we hugged them,” he said.
“We want to maintain this ceasefire now. Both countries need to find a long-term solution.”
Iqbal, a worker at the power plant, said he was trying to remain optimistic despite the damages.
“We’re lucky,” he said. “We have a home to rebuild, our family is together. We hope things don’t resume. But there’s no guarantee.”
