Latest news with #MohammadNaseem
Arab News
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Weary border residents in Indian-administered Kashmir struggle to survive
URI, India: Mohammad Naseem says his neighbors laughed when he borrowed money and built a concrete bunker under his home in a village near the disputed Kashmir border. But this week, when mortar bombs rained in Salamabad, 38 people — men, women, and children — huddled in it as about a dozen shells exploded outside in quick succession. One of them destroyed Naseem's home. 'Many of us would have died had we not moved into the bunker,' Naseem, a 34-year-old hotel chef, told AFP. 'We grabbed our children and rushed inside. It got so packed that after some time we felt suffocated, two of our children became unconscious,' he said. 'The children had to be hospitalized after daybreak when the shelling stopped.' Other villagers hid behind rocks and bushes on the mountain slopes. Some watched their homes being reduced to rubble. Deadly confrontations between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan erupted after New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing an April 22 attack on tourists on the Indian-administered side of the disputed territory, which killed 26 people. Pakistan denies the charge. 'We took our children out and went up the mountain slope holding them tightly as bombs exploded around us,' Naseer Ahmed Khan, 50, said outside his damaged house on Thursday. 'Our life is worth nothing. At any time, entire families could be wiped out,' Khan said. 'Our children are not able to sleep and we cannot have a meal in peace.' The exchange of heavy fire has destroyed or severely damaged dozens of homes in Uri, about 100 kilometers (66 miles) from the Kashmir capital Srinagar, forcing many to flee to safer areas in towns like Baramulla, about 50 kilometers away. Sajjad Shafi, a local lawmaker told AFP that about 10 percent of Uri's population — some 22,000 people — fled since the latest fighting began. On Friday, many more were fleeing in buses and trucks provided by the government or driving off in their own cars. 'How can we stay here?' Rubina Begum said outside her destroyed home. 'The government should lodge us somewhere safe.' Begum's daughter, Saima Talib, added: 'We have nothing left except the clothes we are wearing.' Displaced people are struggling to find food and work and many are now sheltering in government buildings in Uri. Mohammad Lateef Bhat, a road construction worker, said: 'I work as a laborer with army's border roads organization but their work also stopped.' 'This morning I came to the market looking for work but there is nothing,' Bhat said. Some vegetable sellers briefly set up shop before closing. Mohammad Bashir was also despondent. 'I came to the market to find some work so I can buy some food for my family (of eight) but there is nothing,' Bashir, 60, said. The death toll from India and Pakistan's biggest clashes in decades passed 50 on Friday with each accusing the other of staging drone attacks in waves. Farooq Ahmed Khan, 35, a bus driver from Sultandhaki village near the border, said 'this fighting has made our life miserable.' Nagni, a rare mixed settlement of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs, sits on mountain slopes near the Indian army's border headquarters in Uri. Villagers say 35 of the 50 families there have fled. Badal, a 22-year-old student who only gave his first name, was cleaning up after his sister's wedding at his freshly painted home. He showed a crater caused by a mortar bomb that landed a few meters away on the night of the wedding. 'Luckily there was no loss of life but a lot of damage. What we need.. is bunkers, but there are none.' 'This village has always been a target of Pakistani attacks in the past because the (Indian) army headquarters are nearby,' said Sahil Kumar, another Nagni resident. Locals say they are fed up. 'I say there should be a war just to decide where Kashmir goes,' said Farooq Ahmed Khan, the bus driver. 'I will also go to fight in that war so that this trouble ends for good,' Khan said.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Weary border residents in Indian Kashmir struggle to survive
Mohammad Naseem says his neighbours laughed when he borrowed money and built a concrete bunker under his home in a village near the disputed Kashmir border. But this week when mortar bombs rained in Salamabad, 38 people -- men, women, and children -- huddled in it as about a dozen shells exploded outside in quick succession. One of them destroyed Naseem's home. "Many of us would have died had we not moved into the bunker," Naseem, a 34-year-old hotel chef, told AFP. "We grabbed our children and rushed inside. It got so packed that after some time we felt suffocated, two of our children became unconscious," he said. "The children had to be hospitalised after daybreak when the shelling stopped." Other villagers hid behind rocks and bushes on the mountain slopes. Some watched their homes being reduced to rubble. Deadly confrontations between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan erupted after New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing an April 22 attack on tourists on the Indian-run side of the disputed territory, which killed 26 people. Pakistan denies the charge. - 'Our life is worth nothing' - "We took our children out and went up the mountain slope holding them tightly as bombs exploded around us," Naseer Ahmed Khan, 50, said outside his damaged house on Thursday. "Our life is worth nothing. At any time entire families could be wiped out," Khan said. "Our children are not able to sleep and we cannot have a meal in peace." The exchange of heavy fire has destroyed or severely damaged dozens of homes in Uri, about 100 kilometres (66 miles) from the Kashmir capital Srinagar, forcing many to flee to safer areas in towns like Baramulla, about 50 kilometres away. Sajjad Shafi, a local lawmaker told AFP that about 10 percent of Uri's population -- some 22,000 people -- fled since the latest fighting began. On Friday, many more were fleeing in buses and trucks provided by the government or driving off in their own cars. "How can we stay here?" Rubina Begum said outside her destroyed home. "The government should lodge us somewhere safe". Begum's daughter, Saima Talib, added: "We have nothing left except the clothes we are wearing". Displaced people are struggling to find food and work and many are now sheltering in government buildings in Uri. - 'Return empty' - Mohammad Lateef Bhat, a road construction worker, said: "I work as a labourer with army's border roads organisation but their work also stopped." "This morning I came to the market looking for work but there is nothing," Bhat said. Some vegetable sellers briefly set up shop before closing. Mohammad Bashir was also despondent. "I came to the market to find some work so I can buy some food for my family (of eight) but there is nothing," Bashir, 60, said. The death toll from India and Pakistan's biggest clashes in decades passed 50 on Friday with each accusing the other of staging drone attacks in waves. Farooq Ahmed Khan, 35, a bus driver from Sultandhaki village near the border, said "this fighting has made our life miserable." Nagni, a rare mixed settlement of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs, sits on mountain slopes near the Indian army's border headquarters in Uri. Villagers say 35 of the 50 families there have fled. Badal, a 22-year-old student who only gave his first name, was cleaning up after his sister's wedding at his freshly painted home. - 'There should be war' - He showed a crater caused by a mortar bomb that landed a few metres away on the night of the wedding. "Luckily there was no loss of life but a lot of damage. What we need.. is bunkers, but there are none". "This village has always been a target of Pakistani attacks in the past because the (Indian) army headquarters are nearby," said Sahil Kumar, another Nagni resident. Locals say they are fed up. "I say there should be a war just to decide where Kashmir goes," said Farooq Ahmed Khan, the bus driver. "I will also go to fight in that war so that this trouble ends for good," Khan said. pzb/ach/hmn
Int'l Business Times
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Weary Border Residents In Indian Kashmir Struggle To Survive
Mohammad Naseem says his neighbours laughed when he borrowed money and built a concrete bunker under his home in a village near the disputed Kashmir border. But this week when mortar bombs rained in Salamabad, 38 people -- men, women, and children -- huddled in it as about a dozen shells exploded outside in quick succession. One of them destroyed Naseem's home. "Many of us would have died had we not moved into the bunker," Naseem, a 34-year-old hotel chef, told AFP. "We grabbed our children and rushed inside. It got so packed that after some time we felt suffocated, two of our children became unconscious," he said. "The children had to be hospitalised after daybreak when the shelling stopped." Other villagers hid behind rocks and bushes on the mountain slopes. Some watched their homes being reduced to rubble. Deadly confrontations between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan erupted after New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing an April 22 attack on tourists on the Indian-run side of the disputed territory, which killed 26 people. Pakistan denies the charge. "We took our children out and went up the mountain slope holding them tightly as bombs exploded around us," Naseer Ahmed Khan, 50, said outside his damaged house on Thursday. "Our life is worth nothing. At any time entire families could be wiped out," Khan said. "Our children are not able to sleep and we cannot have a meal in peace." The exchange of heavy fire has destroyed or severely damaged dozens of homes in Uri, about 100 kilometres (66 miles) from the Kashmir capital Srinagar, forcing many to flee to safer areas in towns like Baramulla, about 50 kilometres away. Sajjad Shafi, a local lawmaker told AFP that about 10 percent of Uri's population -- some 22,000 people -- fled since the latest fighting began. On Friday, many more were fleeing in buses and trucks provided by the government or driving off in their own cars. "How can we stay here?" Rubina Begum said outside her destroyed home. "The government should lodge us somewhere safe". Begum's daughter, Saima Talib, added: "We have nothing left except the clothes we are wearing". Displaced people are struggling to find food and work and many are now sheltering in government buildings in Uri. Mohammad Lateef Bhat, a road construction worker, said: "I work as a labourer with army's border roads organisation but their work also stopped." "This morning I came to the market looking for work but there is nothing," Bhat said. Some vegetable sellers briefly set up shop before closing. Mohammad Bashir was also despondent. "I came to the market to find some work so I can buy some food for my family (of eight) but there is nothing," Bashir, 60, said. The death toll from India and Pakistan's biggest clashes in decades passed 50 on Friday with each accusing the other of staging drone attacks in waves. Farooq Ahmed Khan, 35, a bus driver from Sultandhaki village near the border, said "this fighting has made our life miserable." Nagni, a rare mixed settlement of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs, sits on mountain slopes near the Indian army's border headquarters in Uri. Villagers say 35 of the 50 families there have fled. Badal, a 22-year-old student who only gave his first name, was cleaning up after his sister's wedding at his freshly painted home. He showed a crater caused by a mortar bomb that landed a few metres away on the night of the wedding. "Luckily there was no loss of life but a lot of damage. What we need.. is bunkers, but there are none". "This village has always been a target of Pakistani attacks in the past because the (Indian) army headquarters are nearby," said Sahil Kumar, another Nagni resident. Locals say they are fed up. "I say there should be a war just to decide where Kashmir goes," said Farooq Ahmed Khan, the bus driver. "I will also go to fight in that war so that this trouble ends for good," Khan said. Indian villagers wait for transportation after fleeing their homes AFP A man stands inside his destroyed home in the border village of Salamabad AFP Many people said they were fed up AFP
Time of India
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
NMC clears encroachments on Khamla plot for construction of five-star hotel
Nagpur: The anti-encroachment squad of (NMC) on Thursday carried out an anti-encroachment drive on Plot No. 4 of Orange City Street in Khamla to clear the way for the construction of a five-star hotel. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The 4,294.05sqm plot was auctioned by NMC for Rs80 crore under the Smart City officials from Laxmi Nagar zone, supported by police personnel, executed the drive by evicting vendors near the mutton market and installing iron railings along the footpath to prevent BJP leader Surendra Pande, who was present during the drive, strongly opposed the selective action. He demanded that NMC also act against hardware shops, builders, and godowns that encroached roads and footpaths. "Why target only poor hawkers with licences? Large-scale encroachments by traders are ignored despite multiple complaints," he said the action was unjust. "We were selling seasonal fruits and meat here for years. Some of us even have hawker licences. Now we are being displaced without alternative arrangements," said Mohammad Naseem, a meat and social activists echoed the concern, alleging that stalls used tarpaulins for sun protection and not for permanent occupation. "These carts cost around Rs15,000 and are the only source of livelihood for many. Demolishing them with JCBs is harsh," said one of the residents. Residents, along with Pandey, also raised objections against the developer of the project for encroaching on the footpath with a tin Deshmukh, the developer, clarified that a 1.5-metre strip on the 3.5-metre-wide footpath would remain for pedestrians, and the rest would be barricaded temporarily to ensure the plot is kept construction-ready. "The evicted vendors were assured of alternative space once the new market is built under the redevelopment plan," he claimed.
India Gazette
08-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Our community has suffered intense damage," say residents of Poonch border villages, 13 civilians killed in Pak shelling
Poonch (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], May 8 (ANI): Thirteen civilians have lost their lives in Poonch while 44 of them have sustained injuries due to ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC). The civilian establishments in one of the villages along the India-Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir have suffered serious damage in ceasefire violations by Pakistan. The wailing of local women, who have lost their loved ones, has pushed the district into distress. A civilian in the village speaks about the damages suffered by the local community, pointing to a house with a young woman and three children. He appealed to the government that bunkers must be provided since there was consistent shelling from the Pakistani side. 'Our Sikh community has suffered immense damage here. This lady has young children, and she has lost too much. I want to appeal to the government that a ceasefire must occur soon and there should be peace,' he said. 'We were not given bunkers even when our area falls alongside the border and there's a lot of shelling here. I want to appeal that bunkers should be provided,' the civilian added. Mohammad Naseem, the block youth president of the National Conference (NC), demanded that those who have suffered damages be given relief. He told ANI, 'We have suffered damages. One of our sisters has died here. We want peace. We need bunkers here. Those who have suffered should be given relief. There shouldn't be war, but peace.' Mohammad Nawaz Mughal suffered damage to his property in a ceasefire violation by Pakistan. He has demanded that the government assist them. 'The action taken by PM Modi (against Pakistan) is excellent. However, we request the government to help us, as my son's house is damaged,' Mughal told ANI. The intense shelling by the Pakistani army along the LoC came in retaliation for the May 7 'Operation Sindoor' in which India's armed forces targeted a total of nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). (ANI)
