CHAKOTHI, Pakistan-administered Kashmir
The ceasefire along the de facto Kashmir border remains intact despite escalating tensions between Pakistan and India following a deadly attack in Jammu and Kashmir last week.
Tensions have been running high since April 22, when 26 people were killed by unknown gunmen in the touristic Pahalgam area of the Indian-administered Kashmir.
The attack has further strained the already tense relations between Pakistan and India over the disputed Himalayan region.
When Anadolu correspondent visited on Sunday the Chakothi sector near the Line of Control (LoC) -- the de facto border dividing the disputed region between the two arch-rivals -- there was calm in the area, with residents showing no signs of fear or panic.
“There is no fear among our people. The last time Indian forces killed two of our civilians was in 2019, and since then, we have not seen any firing between the two forces,” Sudhair Ahmed, a local resident, told Anadolu.
Chakothi village and its small bazaar (market) are located just 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from the LoC, where the Pakistan Army has established a checkpoint, allowing only local residents to enter the forward area.
“Earlier, tourists were allowed to go up to the Kaman Bridge near the LoC. However, for the past four or five days, non-locals have not been allowed because of precautionary measures,” said Hussain Shah, a local shopkeeper.
The situation in the Chakothi area remains normal. However, few firing incidents were reported from Leepa Valley since Friday night, though local officials described them as “normal post-to-post firing.”
“Indian forces fired at our security checkpoint, and the Pakistan Army responded in the Leepa area along the LoC. However, no damage was reported,” Mazhar Saeed Shah, information minister of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, also known as Azad Jammu and Kashmir, told Anadolu.
Shah called the incidents “normal” but noted that the firing constituted a violation by Indian forces of the ceasefire agreement.
In 2021, Pakistan and India agreed to observe all ceasefire agreements along the LoC after escalating tensions, particularly following India's revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.
However, for the past few days, Indian media repeated claims about tensions “rising” at the LoC. While the Indian side has said Islamabad initiated fire, there has been no comment from the Pakistani authorities about the situation as such.
In 2020, India’s Home Ministry reported that Pakistan had violated the ceasefire 5,133 times, while Pakistan accused Indian troops of violating it more than 1,600 times in the same year.
Since the 2021 agreement, incidents of firing between the forces of the two nuclear-armed neighbors have been very rare.
Disputed region
Kashmir is held in parts by India and Pakistan but claimed by both in full. A small portion of the region is also held by China.
Since the partition of British India in 1947, Pakistan and India have fought three wars -- in 1948, 1965, and 1971 -- two of which were over Kashmir.
Several Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule, seeking either independence or unification with neighboring Pakistan.
According to multiple human rights organizations, thousands of people have been killed in the conflict since 1989.
