An uneasy peace in Kashmir, one month on
A ceasefire is in place, but calm is elusive for people in the disputed region as tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors remain high.
The Indian military fired missiles at the Pakistani side on May 7 after a deadly attack on tourists in India-administered Kashmir in April. Islamabad denies involvement.
The situation quickly escalated into a tit-for-tat exchange of missiles and drones.
The two sides declared a truce, but India says it's only temporary.
India-controlled Kashmir used to be bustling with tourists. Not anymore. Tariq Ghani, secretary general of Jammu and Kashmir Hoteliers Club, says bookings are "about 10 to 15 percent" of the level before the confrontation. He thinks the tensions will hurt the local economy.
Meanwhile, people in the Pakistan-controlled region of Kashmir worry India may resume its offensive. Shaukat Hussain Mughal's home was destroyed in an Indian attack. He's prepared water, medicine and other necessities in case he has to evacuate to a shelter. His family has already fled.
"My life has completely changed," Hussain says. "I'm always feeling fearful."
Last month's hostilities left more than 50 civilians dead across both sides.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Times
16 hours ago
- Japan Times
‘Dear neighbor': A red carpet for Putin, no ceasefire for Trump
What Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump shared in the back of the U.S. presidential limousine on the short ride to their longest on-the-record meeting will likely remain a mystery. There was a lot the two presidents left unsaid at the end of an inconclusive Alaska summit — most notably, they made no mention of a ceasefire in Russia's war in Ukraine, Trump's stated goal in going into the talks. Their get-together was capped by one of the shortest news conferences Trump has ever held. The much-anticipated event was surprising for the lack of fireworks and the unusual restraint of a free-wheeling president who'd been upstaged by Putin in Helsinki seven years ago. This time, they took no questions from the packed room of journalists in Anchorage, leaving them to wonder about the details of the tantalizing agreement the pair had mentioned but kept under wraps. The fear going in had been that Ukraine would get sold out. The implication going out was that Trump planned to relay a message that Kyiv and European allies didn't want to hear as he made his way back to Washington on Air Force One. "I'm going to start making a few phone calls and tell them what happened, but we had an extremely productive meeting,' Trump said. "Many points were agreed to. There are just a very few that are left. Some are not that significant, one is probably the most significant, but we have a very good chance of getting there. We didn't get there but we have a very good chance of getting there.' In the moment, Ukraine's worst fears weren't realized — Trump didn't give anything away, at least publicly. But that sentiment could change quickly over the weekend as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy starts piecing together what Trump and Putin hashed out in that nearly three-hour meeting. What exactly were the outstanding points of issue? Russian leader Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands during a joint news conference at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday. | BLOOMBERG There were plenty of intimations of Russian contentment. Putin seized the initiative by speaking first at the podium alongside Trump, typically the privilege of the host. The Russian leader spoke of an "understanding' that he and Trump had reached that he said may even open the door to ending the war that he'd started. Then Putin issued a warning. "We expect that Kyiv and the European capitals will take all this in a constructive manner and will not put up any obstacles, will not attempt to disrupt the planned progress through provocations or backstage intrigues,' he said. There was little solace for Ukraine in an interview Trump then gave to Fox News' Sean Hannity, in which he explicitly put the ball in Zelenskyy's court to "get it done.' He said he might be at a meeting between the Ukrainian leader and Putin, but didn't entirely commit, and still he offered no details of what had been discussed. "There's one or two pretty significant items but I think they can be reached,' Trump said. "It's really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done. And I would also say the European nations, they have to get involved a little bit.' John Herbst, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, said Trump may well tell his allies "to keep their mouth shut' once he briefs them on the secret details of the meeting with Putin. That will be hard for them to do, especially if the U.K., France and Germany conclude that Ukraine is about to be told to accept a bad deal. "We're in the early stage of a poker game,' said Benjamin Jensen, a senior fellow for the Defense and Security Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. By inviting the Russian president onto American soil and giving him an audience, Trump had already delivered a diplomatic win for the strongman leader who became an international pariah for ordering the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Putin, by all accounts, has ceded nothing in return. The shadows of U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin are cast during a news conference following their meeting to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday. | REUTERS Trump had talked a big game in the lead-up to the summit, saying that he'd know in an instant whether Putin was serious and that he wouldn't hesitate to walk out if he wasn't convinced. In the end he walked down the red carpet — not always in a straight line — and clapped as a jaunty Putin walked over to grab his hand. Perhaps taking stock of the lessons of previous encounters, when the two were left unsupervised without note takers or aides, the White House announced that top aides would join Putin and Trump for their sit-down this time. And yet minutes after the two leaders got off the tarmac, Putin was spotted beaming from inside the "Beast," as the armored limousine is known, seated alone with Trump. The U.S. president appeared solicitous of his guest, urging Putin to walk ahead as they stepped off a podium in front of reporters. The Russian leader had made a point of showing he couldn't hear questions lobbed at him. "President Putin, will you stop killing civilians?' one reporter shouted. Putin put his hand up to his ear but didn't answer. Those private 10 minutes were all the time Putin needed to feel the flight across the Bering Strait had been worth it. He was in Alaska, the U.S. state the Russian czar had sold to the Americans more than 150 years ago, for about as long as the flight over: four hours. His pool reporters were treated to "Chicken Kiev" (pointedly spelled the Russian way) along the way. Putin's veteran foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, played his part by arriving in Anchorage in jeans and a white sweater emblazoned with USSR in black Cyrillic letters. Earlier in the day, Trump had made of point of saying he'd consulted with Belarus's autocratic leader, Alexander Lukashenko. U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin speak after a joint news conference following a U.S.-Russia summit on Ukraine at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday. | Sputnik / POOL / VIA AFP-JIJI That was an alarming signal for many traditional U.S. allies. Dubbed "the last dictator in Europe' by the Republican administration of President George W. Bush, Lukashenko is Putin's closest ally and under international sanctions, including by the U.S. None of that seemed to bother Trump, who said they'd had a "wonderful' chat. Putin laid the flattery on thick in Anchorage, putting the focus firmly on the relationship with the U.S. as Russia's neighbor separated by a only a few kilometers of water across the Bering Strait. "When we met, we got off the planes, I said 'good afternoon, dear neighbor, it's very nice to see you in good health and alive.' And it sounds very neighborly, in my opinion, kind,' he told the assembled reporters. "We are close neighbors, that is a fact.' He made little reference to the Ukrainian neighbor that Russia invaded. In a day punctuated by memorable images though ultimately wrapped in enigma, there was a telling moment of clarity. Putin, in power for more than a quarter of a century, has studied English but rarely resorts to speaking it in public. Even before he landed in Alaska, it was clear that Putin was already angling for another meeting with Trump, this time on Russian soil. Just as he opened the briefing to reporters, he also found a way to close it. "Next time in Moscow,' Putin suggested in English. "Oh, that's an interesting one,' Trump replied. "I'll get a little heat on that one, but I could see it possibly happening.'
Yomiuri Shimbun
19 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Flash Floods Triggered by Heavy Rains Kill at least 49 People in Northwestern Pakistan
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Flash floods triggered by heavy rains killed at least 49 people in northwestern Pakistan and elsewhere in the country over the past 24 hours, officials said Friday, as rescuers evacuated 1,300 stranded tourists from a mountainous district hit by landslides. More than 360 people, mostly women and children, have died in rain-related incidents across Pakistan since June 26. Most of the latest deaths were reported in northern and northwestern Pakistan, according to local officials. At least 10 people were killed Thursday after being swept away by flash floods in Ghazar district in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, said regional government spokesman Faizullah Faraq. Another 16 people, including women and children, also died Thursday in Bajaur district in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when a massive cloudburst led to flash flooding, said rescue official Amjad Khan. He said 17 others were swept away and remain missing. Flash floods also hit Battagram, a district in the northwest, killing 10 people, government administrator Saleem Khan said. He said another 18 people were still missing. Seven more people died Thursday in separate rain-related incidents in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, which is split between Pakistan and India and claimed by both in its entirety, according to the state disaster management authority. Bilal Faizi, a provincial emergency service spokesman in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said rescuers worked for hours to save 1,300 tourists after they were trapped by flash flooding and landslides in the Siran Valley in Mansehra district on Thursday. Faraq said Gilgit-Baltistan has been hit by multiple floods since July, triggering landslides along the Karakoram Highway, a key trade and travel route linking Pakistan and China that is used by tourists to travel to the scenic north. Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari in a statement expressed his sorrow and grief over the losses and asked authorities to expedite the rescue and relief work in the flood-affected areas. Gilgit-Baltistan is also home to scenic glaciers that provide 75% of Pakistan's stored water supply. Pakistan's disaster management agency has issued fresh alerts for glacial lake outburst flooding in the north, warning travelers to avoid affected areas. A study released this week by World Weather Attribution, a network of international scientists, found rainfall from June 24 to July 23 was 10% to 15% heavier because of global warming. Experts say sudden, intense downpours over small areas — known as cloudbursts — are becoming increasingly common in the country. In 2022, the country's worst monsoon season on record killed more than 1,700 people and caused an estimated $40 billion in damage.
Japan Times
a day ago
- Japan Times
Trump says no summit deal with Putin over Ukraine war, but calls talks 'very productive'
U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he and Russian leader Vladimir Putin did not reach an agreement to resolve Moscow's war in Ukraine after a nearly three-hour summit in Alaska, though he characterized the meeting as "very productive." "There were many, many points that we agreed on," Trump said at a joint news conference with Putin. "I would say a couple of big ones that we haven't quite got there, but we've made some headway. So there's no deal until there's a deal." Trump and Putin each spoke for a few minutes to reporters and took no questions. It was not clear whether the talks had produced meaningful steps toward a ceasefire in the deadliest conflict in Europe in 80 years, a goal that Trump had set at the outset. In brief remarks, Putin spoke of an "understanding" reached with Trump, which he said could bring peace in Ukraine, without giving any details. "We hope that the understanding we have reached will ... pave the way for peace in Ukraine," he said, adding that he expected Ukraine and its European allies to accept the results of the U.S.-Russia negotiation, warning them not to "torpedo" the progress toward a resolution. Putin also said that his next meeting with Trump could take place in Moscow. "Next time in Moscow," Putin said in English, responding to Trump at the conclusion of their news conference. U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin meet during a U.S.-Russia summit on Ukraine at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday. | Sputnik / POOL / VIA AFP-JIJI Trump and Putin, along with top foreign-policy aides, conferred in a room at an Air Force base in Anchorage, Alaska in their first meeting since 2019. A blue backdrop behind them had the words "Pursuing Peace" printed on it. Trump's publicly stated aim for the talks was to secure a halt to the fighting and a commitment by Putin to meet swiftly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to negotiate an end to the war, which began when Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022. Zelenskyy, who was not invited to the summit, and his European allies had feared Trump might sell out Ukraine by essentially freezing the conflict and recognizing — if only informally — Russian control over one-fifth of Ukraine. Trump sought to assuage such concerns as he boarded Air Force One, saying he would let Ukraine decide on any possible territorial concessions. "I'm not here to negotiate for Ukraine, I'm here to get them at a table," he said. Asked what would make the meeting a success, he told reporters: "I want to see a ceasefire rapidly. ... I'm not going to be happy if it's not today. ... I want the killing to stop." Zelenskyy has ruled out formally handing Moscow any territory and is also seeking a security guarantee backed by the United States. Trump said he would call Zelenskyy and NATO leaders to update them on the talks with Putin. Onceon the ground in Alaska, Trump greeted Putin on a red carpet on the base's tarmac. The two shook hands warmly and touched each other on the arm before riding in Trump's limo to the summit site nearby. Trump hopes a truce in the 3-½-year-old war that Putin started will bring peace to the region as well as bolster his credentials as a global peacemaker worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. For Putin, the summit is already a big win that he can portray as evidence that years of Western attempts to isolate Russia have unraveled and that Moscow is retaking its rightful place at the high table of international diplomacy. Russian leader Vladimir Putin shares a laugh with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Beast, as the U.S. president's armored limousine is known, ahead of a high-stakes summit at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday in this image taken from video. | Pool / via REUTERS Putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court, accused of the war crime of deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. Russia denies the allegations, and the Kremlin has dismissed the ICC warrant as null and void. Russia and the United States are not members of the court. Both Moscow and Kyiv deny targeting civilians in the war. But thousands of civilians have died in the conflict, the vast majority Ukrainian. A conservative estimate of dead and injured in the war in Ukraine — from both sides combined — totals 1.2 million people, Trump's envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said three months ago. The meeting also included U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio; Trump's special envoy to Russia, Steve Witkoff; Russian foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov; and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Trump, who once said he would end Russia's war in Ukraine within 24 hours, conceded on Thursday it had proven a tougher task than he had expected. He said if Friday's talks went well, quickly arranging a second, three-way summit with Zelenskyy would be more important than his encounter with Putin. Zelenskyy said Friday's summit should open the way for a "just peace" and three-way talks that included him, but added that Russia was continuing to wage war. A Russian ballistic missile earlier struck Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, killing one person and wounding another. "It's time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America," Zelenskyy wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
