MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan (AP) 鈥� Neelum Valley in northern Pakistan attracts some 300,000 tourists each summer who marvel at its natural beauty. But the with nearby India has emptied its hotels.
Gunmen last week in the Indian resort town of Pahalgam, fueling tensions between the after India blamed Pakistan for the attack, a charge Pakistan denies.
Neelum Valley is less than 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from the Line of Control, the de facto border that divides the , making it vulnerable to any military activity.
Hotel owner Rafaqat Hussain said Thursday the crisis has hit the tourism industry hard. 鈥淢ost tourists have left and returned to their cities because there is a risk of war."
Authorities in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir of tourist resorts following the attack as a precaution.
No such order has come from Pakistani authorities. Bazaars in the Pakistani border town of Chakothi were open for business, although people were concerned.
鈥淔irst of all, our prayer is for peace, as war always affects civilians first,鈥� shop owner Bashir Mughal told The Associated Press, saying he would fight alongside the army in the event of conflict.
Pakistan used to help residents to build bunkers near their homes during periods of intense cross-border firing. But the population has grown and some homes lack shelters. 鈥淟ocal casualties could be devastating if war breaks out,鈥� Mughal warned.
Saiqa Naseer, also from Chakothi, shuddered at the childhood memories of frequent firing across the border. 鈥淣ow, as a mother, I find myself facing the same fears,鈥� she said.
She remembered Indian shells striking the picturesque valley when the two countries came close to war in 2019. She has a bunker at her home.
鈥淚f war comes, we will stay here. We won鈥檛 run away,鈥� she said.
Ishfaq Hussain, The Associated Press
