Quotes
It was stressed that Russia is ready to act for a political settlement of the situation resulting from the act of terrorism of April 22 in the Pahalgam area of the Kashmir valley, in the event of a mutual desire on the part of Islamabad and New Delhi,
the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on Telegram
Particular attention was paid to the significant rise in tension between New Delhi and Islamabad,
the ministry said in a statement, referring to Lavrov's conversation with Ishaq Dar, who is also Pakistan's deputy prime ministerThe tourism season used to start in May. Now, nobody will come. Before tourism, only one hotel was there in Gurez. Now, dozens of hotels, homestays and guest houses are under construction now. Unfortunately, everything changed due to the attack,
said Bilal Wani, adding
Only weeks ago, the talk was about homestays, treks and food for tourists. Now, our concern is about underground bunkers in our vicinity,
said Ajaz Ahmad, a resident of Teetwal, located on the banks of Kishen Ganga River in Kupwara districtAcross the LoC, there is less movement as well. They fear something bad can happen as well,
said Shakeel Khan, a consumer affairs department official posted in the areaEarlier, cabs and buses with tourists used to travel using this road to visit Kaman Post bridge every day. Now, nobody goes there,
said Mohammad Iqbal, who owns a shop on the Srinagar-Muzafarrabad road in UriThe security assessment after Pahalgam attack is necessary,
he told reportersWe have seen hostilities in past and pray that things don’t turn bad,
he addedThis place became a tourist destination, and we expected a good footfall this year. Now, there is tension as our villages are easy target if hostilities break out between India and Pakistan. Nobody has visited since the Pahalgam attack,
he addsThese days, that moment flashes in my head all the time,
the widower said, holding up a picture of his late wife
We live in constant fear of becoming victims of the conflict,
said a young woman in Tilawari, who declined to be named
Six families in my neighbourhood left their homes for safety during the last few days,
said truck driver Mohammad Ibrahim, who has stayed with his wife and children
The mortar shell landed right next to my wife -- she died instantly
said Dar, describing fighting in 2020 near his mountain village of Balkote, on the Indian side of the dividing line
I cleaned up my bunker and stocked it up for the first time since 2021,
Ahmed said, referring to the year India and Pakistan agreed to a renewed border ceasefireThere are only six bunkers, and each bunker can accommodate a maximum of 15 people,
a young villager told AFP, declining to be namedNo proper facilities exist in the bunkers, and when it rains, water enters inside. The bunkers have not been built properly,
said the man