Azad Kashmir govt orders stockpiling of food as India tensions flare

Authorities in Azad Kashmir called on residents near the de facto border with the Indian-occupied Kashmir to stockpile food on Friday as tensions flare between the arch-rivals following a deadly attack last month.

India blames Pakistan for the attack by gunmen on civilians at the tourist site of Pahalgam in Indian-occupied Kashmir on April 22 that killed 26 men. Islamabad has rejected the charge.

"Instructions have been issued to stock food supplies for two months in the 13 constituencies along the Line of Control (LoC)," Azad Kashmir Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, told the Legislative Assembly on Friday.

The AJK government has also created an emergency fund of one billion rupees to ensure the supply of "food, medicines and all other basic necessities" to the 13 constituencies, he said.

Government and privately-owned machinery was also being deployed to maintain roads in the areas along the LoC, he said.

The attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir and subsequent tensions, including expulsions and closed border crossings, have raised fears of a conflagration between India and Pakistan.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday gave the military "complete operational freedom" to respond to the attack.

Pakistan has denied any involvement and has said it has "credible evidence" that India is planning an imminent military strike, vowing that any attack would be met with a response.

Fearing a military escalation, authorities in Azad Kashmir shut more than 1,000 religious schools for 10 days on Thursday.

India and Pakistan, which both claim Kashmir in full, have fought over the Himalayan territory since the end of British rule in 1947.

Control room set up

The Azad Kashmir authorities have also set up a control room in Samahni area keeping in view the tensions at the LoC and also to provide accurate information and counter fake news on social media.

The control room will remain reactive all the time and will remain in contact with relevant institutions.

The personnel deployed at the control room will verify all the information received from official and non-official sources.

Samahni assistant commission issued a notification in this regard on Friday, appealing the public not to believe in rumours and try to seek information from authentic sources.

 Reporter Zahid Bashir Chaudhry/AFP