Thousands flee, prepare bunkers as fears grow

chakothi (pakistan) — Thousands of Kashmiris have fled their homes, some bailed water out of disused bunkers, while others dug in — determined to see out the latest flare up of hostilities between India and Pakistan.

Shelling across the heavily militarised Line of Control which divides Kashmir between the two South Asian countries sent many seeking shelter on Wednesday, even before India and Pakistan both claimed they had shot each other’s warplanes down, igniting fears of an all-out conflict.

Pakistani officials said four people were killed on Tuesday by shelling from the Indian side of the ceasefire line. The death toll mounts on both sides each time sabre-rattling between India and Pakistan turns into conflict. This time, Kashmiris have watched warplanes fighting overhead and cowered under the shelling.

At least 2,000 people left their homes near the unofficial border in the Kotli and Jhelum Valley districts on the Pakistani side, and authorities closed all public schools, said officials. Other districts also saw an exodus. “More people are leaving their homes and moving to safer places,” said Umar Azam, a senior government official in Kotli. Internet was also cut in some zones near the frontier — often a sign of military activity. Women, men and children, loaded with cases and bags, could be seen on roads. Some pulled cattle or carried other animals.

Habib Ullah Awan, a 46-year-old grocery store owner in the nearby border village of Chakothi said shells were still falling when he left his home with eight members of his family early on Wednesday. —