Winnipeggers worried about family as India-Pakistan tensions escalate
Social Sharing
Some Winnipeggers from India and Pakistan say they're anxious as the armed confrontation between both countries escalates.
The Pakistani military said Thursday two civilians have died and four soldiers were wounded after India launched attack drones into the country, according to The Associated Press.
Those deaths come after Pakistan says at least 31 of its civilians were killed and about 50 wounded in strikes on Wednesday and in cross-border shelling across the frontier in Kashmir that followed, while India says 16 of its civilians died, including five children, and 59 were wounded.
The latest exchanges come after India said it hit "terrorist infrastructure" in Pakistan in the early hours of Wednesday in retaliation for an April 22 attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir, in which 26 people — mostly Hindu tourists — were killed.
Pakistan denies any involvement in the attack in the long-disputed region, which has been at the centre of several armed clashes between both nuclear-armed countries in the decades since they gained independence.
Sukhmeet Singh, who has lived in Winnipeg for almost three years, still has a lot of family in Indian Punjab, which borders Pakistan, including his father. Singh said he's worried about their safety.
"They are doing blackout in [the cities of] Gurdaspur, Pathankot … from 9 to 5 p.m.," he said.
"They're giving [them] things to do, like get sufficient supply, stock … basic food, water and everything and get yourself a safe place, get your cars filled with gas in case they have to evacuate."
WATCH l Winnipeggers anxious about India-Pakistan tensions:
Winnipeggers from India, Pakistan worried about relatives as tensions rise
2 hours ago
Duration 2:03
Hostilities between India and Pakistan continue to intensify in the Kashmir region, with each accusing the other of aggression. With no signs of tensions easing, some Winnipeg residents from India and Pakistan say they're worried about relatives back home.
Jamil Mohammad, who is from Pakistani Punjab and has lived in Canada for about 25 years, is also worried. His native city of Bahawalpur was one of the places hit by Indian missile strikes Wednesday.
Mohammad said he first heard about it from his nephew, who is still in the city.
"I was very scared, because I have family over there in Bahawalpur, and also in Rawalpindi," where a drone fell, he said.
"I was shaking," Mohammad said. "Both sides, they are killing innocent people. So we are with the innocent people."
Indian authorities said Thursday the country shot down several drones aimed at military targets.
Pakistan's ambassador to the U.S. said in a Thursday interview with CNN both sides have had contacts at the level of their respective national security councils, but he maintained it's India's responsibility to de-escalate tensions.
The United Nations and countries like China, Russia and the U.S. have urged both countries to act with restraint.
Both Mohammad and Singh said they would like to see other countries and the UN step in to mediate the conflict.
"I don't know what they [are] playing in that area, the government of Pakistan and government of India," Mohammad said. "But we want peace."
Singh said no one wins in a war.
"We are being separated by flags, but still the tears are same," he said. "We are being separated by the borders, but blood is same, so I think they should work on it."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
8 hours ago
- CBC
City of Winnipeg's long-term transportation strategy calls for $4.3B overhaul in next 25 years
Social Sharing A new plan to overhaul Winnipeg's transportation system calls for $4.3 billion in spending over the next 25 years. On Friday, the City of Winnipeg released its Transportation 2050 strategy, an update to the city's transportation master plan. It outlines a vision for the city as a hub for transporting goods, while encouraging more people to shift away from single-passenger vehicles and toward active transportation and public transit. "Winnipeg is a global multimodal transportation hub," public works committee chair Coun. Janice Lukes (Waverley West) said in an interview. "It's the heartbeat of our economy, right? Moving goods is a huge factor in economic development." The plan recommends a number of pilot projects, including designated truck lanes, secure bike parking, reduced parking on arterial roads and autonomous bus testing. A report, to be discussed at next Thursday's public works meeting, says automated buses "are ready for real-world testing and Winnipeg's Southwest Transitway is an ideal testing location, as a fully separated right-of-way that experiences cold and winter conditions." Lukes says the city won't be able to do everything in the plan immediately and will need to come up with a list of priorities. The report says the city has identified billions of dollars in unfunded, but necessary, infrastructure upgrades, with many bridges nearing the end of their useful life. Mayor Scott Gillingham said the city continues to seek funding from other levels of government for major infrastructure projects, like widening Kenaston Boulevard and extending Chief Peguis Trail. "We cannot deliver services as a city to the residents if we don't have a strong economy, because we need the revenue from a strong economy to fund the services that we provide to Winnipeggers," he said. "And so I believe we really need to look closely at investment in our trade routes. We've talked about Kenaston/Route 90, and the upgrades that need to happen there — Chief Peguis Trail extension as well. Those are economic routes." Graham Avenue 'a blank slate': mayor More changes could also come to downtown's Graham Avenue after Winnipeg Transit's new primary network goes into effect later this month. The new transit network will move all buses off Graham and over to Portage Avenue. "That provides a great opportunity. It's almost like Graham Avenue is a blank slate and can be reimagined for something really different and invigorating," Gillingham said. The report recommends removing the street's designation as a truck route between Vaughan Street and Carlton Street, as well as between Fort Street and Main Street. It also calls for reducing the speed limit between Vaughan and Carlton from 50 km/h to 30. The city's CentrePlan 2050 document, which outlines extensive changes throughout the downtown to increase the number of people living and walking in the neighbourhood, includes a number of projects for Graham Avenue. They include installing benches and other amenities, bike connectivity, and greening the street. Work on those projects is expected to begin this summer after the transit network switches over. Marion Street upgrades After years of study and sometimes contentious public feedback, the city has released its final report on the Marion Street corridor improvements study. A previous plan to widen the street met significant public opposition, leading the city to abandon it in 2016 and come up with a new plan. That plan calls for a total of $133.3 million in new spending, including bike lanes, multi-use paths, intersection upgrades and other improvements along the corridor in St. Boniface. The plan, if fully implemented, would require the full or partial acquisition of 65 properties, at a cost of about $14 million. The report sets a goal of starting construction by 2030.
CBC
15 hours ago
- CBC
Winnipeg council approves sweeping housing zoning reforms
Winnipeg city council approved a package of sweeping housing zoning reforms overnight after days of debate. Council members proposed dozens of amendments in a hearing that went late into the night Thursday, but the reforms council approved did not change substantially from what city staff had recommended. Property owners can now build up to four units on all housing lots in the city, and buildings up to four storeys can be constructed within 800 metres of frequent transit, without the need for a public hearing, as long as they meet certain design standards. Critics of the changes say they take away the right of people to have a say on developments in their neighbourhoods. But Mayor Scott Gillingham said the city needed to make these changes to qualify for $450 million in federal housing funding from a number of different programs, including the housing accelerator fund. The mayor and other supporters say the new rules will lead to more homes being built faster, which will lower the cost of housing. In a news release, Gillingham said the changes will allow for a greater variety of housing in more neighbourhoods, making it easier for young workers, families and older adults to find a place to live. The city began the process of making these reforms in November 2023, when it agreed to implement zoning changes in exchange for receiving $122.4 million from the federal housing accelerator fund, which is intended to speed up housing construction. Other programs, like the Canada housing infrastructure fund and the Canada public transit fund, also made the money conditional on municipal governments making it easier to build housing.
CBC
a day ago
- CBC
Make team tackling derelict properties in Winnipeg permanent, city report recommends
A team created to speed up City of Winnipeg responses to complaints about burned-out and derelict properties could become permanent. The city launched the unsafe conditions response team as a pilot project last year. At the time, city bylaw enforcement officers were taking weeks to make it to properties. Since launching the team, consisting of bylaw officers and building inspectors, the city has cut response times to one day for the initial inspection, while follow-up contact with the property owner is happening within seven business days, according to a city report. At this time, the team is made up of existing department staff and "is currently subject to competing departmental priorities. If the existing resources are required elsewhere, the [unsafe conditions response team] program would be ended," Rick Klassen, the manager of community construction permits, wrote in the report, which will be discussed by council's property and development committee on June 11. The city recommends that council approve funding to hire three temporary full-time employees to keep the program going until the end of this year, at a cost of about $130,500. It also recommends including funding for the team for the next four years, beginning in 2026, at a total cost of about $1.1 million for that period. That funding would be voted on in next year's budget process. The proposal needs approval from council. Darrell Warren, president of the William Whyte Neighbourhood Association, says he's happy the program could be made permanent. "I'm very enthusiastic about this program, because anything that speeds the process up would be a bonus in getting these derelict properties cleaned up, or whatever has to be done with them," Warren said. The William Whyte neighbourhood has among the highest rates of vacant building fires in Winnipeg. In the past, the slow response to complaints has been discouraging, he said. "The process is very, very slow going and it impacts the neighbourhood, because things aren't getting done and people aren't seeing a positive response when they go ahead and make their complaints on that particular property." Property and development committee chair Coun. Evan Duncan says he supports the proposal. "Since November of 2024, we've seen a dramatic uptick in timeliness and effectiveness for the department to get out there and assess these sites and make sure that things are getting cleaned up and not sitting there as big piles of rubble and ruining people's neighbourhoods," Duncan said. According to the report, the team referred 79 properties to the city's municipal accommodations department for remediation, which the city had identified as problem properties over the last three years, 37 of which are complete.
