Latest news with #NeelumValley
Al Jazeera
5 days ago
- Health
- Al Jazeera
This is what it is like to be held in solitary confinement in a US prison
Warning: This story contains references to suicide, which some readers may find disturbing. If you or a loved one is experiencing suicidal thoughts, help and support are available. Visit Befrienders International for more information about support services. When I was a child, I would spend each summer with my family in the foothills of northern Pakistan's Karakoram mountains. We would spend our days exploring the verdant meadows, forests and lakes in this region known as the "roof of the world" and then return to our lodge for meals of chargha (fire-roasted chicken) and naan, hot tea, coconut biscuits, cashews and dried fruits. At night, we'd make bonfires and tell stories about our family spread all over the world. I remember how tiny I felt sitting wrapped in a woollen Kashmiri shawl on those chilly nights, sitting under skies full of stars. Those trips always carried a sense of adventure - and freedom. One day during one of those summer holidays when I was 12, my Aunt Naseem went for a walk and I tagged along. She was my mentor and confidant and, having never had children of her own, was like a mother to me. That day, we headed to the Neelam River separating Pakistan-administered Kashmir from Indian-administered Kashmir. We walked along the riverbank beside the clear river. We were so close to the border that we could see the Indian army posts, their guns pointed in our direction. Arriving at a higher point, we stood in the Neelum Valley. It had rained earlier and now the air was fresh. Snow-capped peaks rose in the distance. I remember my aunt pulling me into the warmth of her shawl. "Once here, Tariq, you never actually leave. A part of you will always stay in the north, always beckoning,' she told me. Her words enchanted me. "You don't believe me,' she said, her smile widening. "Shout out your name and see what happens." I shouted - as loud as I could. Then it came: an echo that seemed to say my name over and over into the distance. "Now you see. The mountains are too high. They will never let Tariq leave," my aunt told me.
Arab News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Sifting through the rubble of latest Pakistan-India conflict
NEELUM VALLEY, Pakistan: Two weeks after Pakistan and India's most intense military clashes in decades, clearance teams along the border comb through fields for unexploded shells so residents can safely build back from the rubble of their homes. Around 70 people, mostly Pakistanis, were killed in the four-day conflict that spread beyond divided Kashmir, over which the neighbors have fought three major wars. The military confrontation — involving intense tit-for-tat drone, missile, aerial combat and artillery exchanges — came to an abrupt end after US President Donald Trump announced a surprise ceasefire, which is still holding. On the Pakistan side of Kashmir, called Azad Kashmir, 500 buildings were damaged or destroyed, including nearly 50 in the picturesque Neelum Valley, where two people were killed. 'There is a possibility that there are unexploded shells still embedded in the ground,' said local official Muhammad Kamran, who has been helping clear educational institutions near the border. Unexploded ordnance dating from conflicts past killed several children in 2021 and 2022 in Azad Kashmir. Headmaster Muhammad Zubair follows a mine detector into a classroom of his high school in the valley where a writing on a whiteboard standing in the debris reads 'we are brave' in English. 'Although the fighting has stopped, people still hold so much fear and anxiety,' he told AFP. 'Despite calling them back to school, children are not showing up.' Abdul Rasheed, a power department official, said he worked 'day and night' to repair power lines damaged by Indian firing. Over the years, investment in roads has helped to create a modest tourism sector in the Neelum Valley, attracting Pakistanis who come to marvel at the Himalayan mountains. Hotels reopened on Monday, but they remain deserted in the middle of peak season. Alif Jan, 76, who has lived through multiple clashes between the two sides, is yet to call her grandchildren back to her border village after sending them away during the latest hostilities. 'It was a very difficult time. It was like doomsday had arrived,' she said. The children were sent to Azad Kashmir's main city of Muzaffarabad, usually safe but this time targeted with an Indian air strike. Jan wants to be certain the fighting doesn't resume and that she has enough to feed them before they eventually return. In a schoolyard, she collects a 20-kilogram (45-pound) bag of flour, a can of oil, and some medicine from a local NGO. Thousands of other families are still waiting to be relocated or compensated for damage. 'We have identified 5,000 families,' said Fawad Aslam, the program manager of local aid group. 'Our first priority is families who suffered direct damage, while the second priority is those who were forced to migrate — people who had to leave their homes and are now living in camps or temporary shelters.' For 25-year-old Numan Butt whose brother was killed by shrapnel, the aid is little consolation. 'This conflict keeps coming upon us; this oppression is ongoing,' he told AFP. 'It is a good thing that they have agreed to peace, but the brother I have lost will never come back.'
National Post
11-05-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Over 100 militants killed in 'surprise' strikes inside Pakistan's territory, India claims
Article content People on both sides of the Line of Control reported heavy exchanges of fire between Indian and Pakistani troops. The fighting subsided by Sunday morning. Article content In the Poonch area of Indian-controlled Kashmir, people said the intense shelling from the past few days had traumatized them. Article content 'Most people ran as shells were being fired,' said college student Sosan Zehra, who returned home Sunday. 'It was completely chaotic.' Article content In Pakistan-controlled Kashmir's Neelum Valley, which is three kilometres (two miles) from the Line of Control, residents said there were exchanges of fire and heavy shelling after the ceasefire began. Article content 'We were happy about the announcement but, once again, the situation feels uncertain,' said Mohammad Zahid. Article content Article content U.S. President Donald Trump was the first to post about the ceasefire deal, announcing it on his Truth Social platform. Indian and Pakistani officials confirmed the news shortly after. Article content Pakistan has thanked the U.S., and especially Trump, several times for facilitating the ceasefire. Article content India has not said anything about Trump or the U.S. since the deal was announced. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting on Sunday with top government and military officials. Article content Article content ( @realDonaldTrump - Truth Social Post ) ( Donald J. Trump - May 10, 2025, 11:48 PM ET ) I am very proud of the strong and unwaveringly powerful leadership of India and Pakistan for having the strength, wisdom, and fortitude to fully know and understand that it was time to stop… — Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸 TRUTH POSTS (@TruthTrumpPosts) May 11, 2025 Article content A U.N. spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, said on Sunday that Secretary General Antonio Guterres welcomed the deal as a positive step toward easing tensions. 'He hopes the agreement will contribute to lasting peace and foster an environment conducive to addressing broader, longstanding issues between the two countries,' Dujarric said. Article content India and Pakistan's top military officials are scheduled to speak on Monday. Article content India and Pakistan have fought daily since Wednesday along the rugged and mountainous Line of Control, which is marked by razor wire coils, watchtowers and bunkers that snake across foothills populated by villages, tangled bushes and forests. Article content They have routinely blamed the other for starting the skirmishes, while insisting they themselves were only retaliating. Article content Kashmir is split between the two countries and claimed by both in its entirety. Article content
Washington Post
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Unease lingers in Kashmir despite ceasefire between India and Pakistan
NEELUM VALLEY, Pakistan — Joy about an India-Pakistan ceasefire was short-lived in Kashmir. Tens of thousands fled the Indian-controlled part of the disputed region last week amid heavy shelling and drone attacks by Pakistan. Yet despite a ceasefire announced Saturday, only a handful of families returned to their homes Sunday.
