Pakistani Kashmir orders stockpiling of food as India tensions flare
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Authorities in Pakistan-administered Kashmir have urged residents near the Line of Control to stock up on essentials, as India and Pakistan continue to exchange fire.
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Local residents walk on a highway near on the Line of Control, the de facto border dividing Pakistan and Indian Kashmir, in Chilhana, some 45 kilometres (27 miles) from Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/M.D. Mughal)
Authorities in Pakistan-administered Kashmir have urged residents living near the Line of Control (LoC) to stockpile essential supplies, as tensions escalate with India following a deadly attack in Pahalgam.
Prime Minister of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, Chaudhry Anwar ul Haq, announced on Friday that instructions had been issued to residents in 13 constituencies along the LoC to secure two months’ worth of food supplies.
An emergency fund of one billion rupees (approximately $3.5 million) has been created to ensure continued access to food, medicine, and other necessities for these frontline communities.
Haq added that both government and privately owned machinery were being deployed to maintain road infrastructure in the region.
Pahalgam attack sparks border tensions
The advisory follows an April 22 attack in Kashmir's Indian-administered Pahalgam that left 26 civilians dead, accusing Pakistan of backing the gunmen responsible, a claim Islamabad has firmly rejected.
That said, the deadly incident intensified the already fragile relationship between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, prompting heightened military activity and diplomatic fallout.
According to the Indian army, cross-border fire has continued for eight consecutive nights along the militarized Line of Control, raising fears of further escalation.
In response to the growing hostilities, over 1,000 religious schools in Pakistan-administered Kashmir were ordered to close for 10 days on Thursday, as authorities brace for possible military conflict.
Diplomatic fallout and military posturing
Following the Pahalgam attack, both sides implemented punitive diplomatic measures, including border crossing closures and expulsions.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi granted the military "complete operational freedom" to respond to the incident, intensifying concerns about the potential for military confrontation. Meanwhile, Pakistan denied involvement and claims to possess "credible evidence" suggesting India is preparing an imminent strike.
Islamabad has vowed that any Indian aggression will be met with a firm response.
The developments mark a serious deterioration in an already tense situation in Kashmir, a region long contested by India and Pakistan since the end of British rule in 1947.
Both countries claim the Himalayan territory in full and have fought multiple wars over it, reigniting fears of a broader conflict, with civilians on both sides of the LoC caught in the middle.
