Srinagar, cashmere with Indian administration – India and Pakistan are on board, in the midst of speculations that New Delhi could launch a military operation against its Western neighbors after the deadly attack against tourists in Pahalgam to the cashmere administered by the Indians.
In the afternoon of April 22, alleged rebels came out of the forests in a picturesque prairie in Pahalgam accessible only on foot or on horseback and opened fire on male tourists. They killed 25 tourists and a local cashmere rider.
The worst attack of this type in cashmere in a quarter of a century sparked a spiral of Tit-For-Tat steps from India and Pakistan which brought nuclear arms to the edge of the military conflict.
However, while India criticizes Pakistan for the attack and Islamabad accuses New Delhi of not sharing any evidence to support his claims, the cashmere faces the weight of their tensions.
India responded to Pahalgam’s attack with a series of people suspected of supporting secessionist groups; and raids and demolitions of the houses of the rebels, in the part of the cashmere which he administers. It has also temporarily closed tourism in certain parts of the Kashmir valley. He also expelled Pakistanis living in India and the cashmere administered by the Indians – including the families of the former rebels that New Delhi had previously invited as part of a rehabilitation program.
Meanwhile, dozens of cashmiris in the cities of India have declared to face harassment, physical assault and threats to leave.
Al Jazeera spoke to people living in the region the way their lives was affected by Pahalgam’s attack.
Ashiq Nabi, 35, adventure tour operator
I was in Pahalgam when the attack took place. It was shocking for all of us.
As an architect and tourist planner focused on the development of adventure tourism in cashmere, I experienced the immediate benefits of the incident.
The government’s decision to suspend all Trekking activities and close 48 tourist destinations after the attack had an impact directly on my work. The months of planning, coordination with local partners and the expected shipments were abrupt.
The attack led to mass cancellations, financial losses and the rejection of local guides, carriers and service staff – many of which depend entirely on seasonal tourism for income.
The impact has extended beyond companies; He rocked the confidence of tourists and disrupted the livelihoods of hundreds of people through the tourist value chain.
My years of work to mark cashmere as a safe destination adapted to the adventure have been lost suddenly. My work has taken up important success, but I hope that things will improve, tourists will return and that the sector will revive.
I am very stressed about my livelihoods right now, but there is no choice but to hope.
Ramez Ahmad, 40, tourist taxi driver
What happened in Pahalgam should never have happened.
Incidents like this are not content to panic, they destroy our only source of means of subsistence. Since that day, the number of tourists has dropped so much that I spent these days without a single walk.
I sit inactive, while waiting near the taxi or at home stands, hoping that someone calls me, but the phone no longer rings.
Since March, this year had started with a little hope. The reservations resumed, and I had the impression that we could finally see a good season after years of struggle. But now everything crashed.
I fear that if it continues, people like me, who have no government work, no land, no business, will be without the penny.
We survive tourism and this incident was a big setback because I do not find myself without any other option. I have no savings on which to fall back. I have a family to support, children to educate and loans to be reimbursed. When tourists do not come, it is not only a bad day of work, it is a question of how we will eat tomorrow.
* Amir Ahmad 26, an aspiring at work
I stayed in a room rented in Srinagar [Indian-administered Kashmir’s main city] When the Pahalgam incident took place. Following relationships of young people who are picked up across cashmere, I was recalled urgently at home [in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district].
A few months earlier, I was summoned to the local police station for a publication on the social networks they did not like. I was triggered with a warning and sent home. From my return from my rented accommodation, I have been confined to my house. My parents don’t allow me to go out. Whenever I receive a call, I feel a wave of anxiety, fearing that it is the police.
My mother had to go to Delhi in a few days for an open heart operation, but now she is too afraid to go. One of my friends who is a student has recently been returned and warned us that it is extremely dangerous to travel in current circumstances. He studied in Punjab and had to rush to his house after attacks against students from the cashmere.
Our lives have become so uncertain that we do not know if we have to worry about two meals, our work, our education, our demolished houses or the political uncertainty that is announced.
Cashmere could be a Wonderland, a Mini-Switzer or a Paradise for others, but for us, it is an open prison. Everyone lives in fear. What future do we have?
Ajmal, 21, a migrant worker from the Bihar
My sister has lived in cashmere with her husband and children for more than a decade.
A few years ago, she also brought me here. She had never complained once to hurt. In fact, it always spoke highly about the inhabitants and their warmth. This is what encouraged me to come and try to build a life here too. I sell Pani Puri [a popular street snack in South Asia] On a cart and win my livelihood. Time is also good here.
When the attack on tourists occurred, it created fear on the first day. We were very afraid of not knowing what would happen. But things are slowly coming back to normal and people gradually come back to their daily routine. I continue to run my stand and I even close it late in the evening without worrying too much. We feel safe so far.
The atmosphere here, at least for the moment, does not feel threatening towards foreigners.
* Safiya Jan, 40
I am from Karachi [in Pakistan]. I came to cashmere in 2014 under the rehabilitation policy announced by the [Indian] The government for the families of the former rebels who had gone to Pakistan but who abandoned firearms and settled there.
After marrying my husband, who is Baramulla in the north of cashmere, I came to cashmere. Since the last decade, I have lived here with him and our two daughters. It’s our house now.
When I hear today that Pakistani residents are sent back, I am anxious. My heart breaks. I don’t want to go back. How can I leave my husband and children and come back alone? I prefer to die to be separated from my family. I beg the government, with folded hands, do not give us back.
My daughters study here. We have built a life in cashmere, Brick by Brick, year after year. We do not threaten anyone. All we want is to live in peace, together with the family.
If I am returned, is it like cutting an arm or a leg of the body, which on earth would do that?
* The names of Amir and Safiya have been modified at their security request.
