Diaspora gripped by fear as Kashmir conflict escalates between Pakistan and IndiaBy Libby Hogan and Preeshita ShahTopic:Unrest, Conflict and War49m ago49 minutes agoThu 8 May 2025 at 7:44amPakistanis like Ibrar Ahmed (right) are worried that India will weaponise the flow of water into India and Kashmir. (Supplied: Ibrar Ahmed)abc.net.au/news/kashmir-conflict-leaves-south-asians-in-australia-in-fear/105269050Link copiedShareShare articleWhen Syed Aijaz heard about air strikes on Tuesday night, he immediately called his family in Kashmir, fearing for their safety.When he spoke to his family, who live in India-controlled Kashmir, they felt trapped and apprehensive, he said."People are stocking up on supplies and staying at home as they have nowhere to go," Mr Aijaz, a Kashmiri man who has lived in Australia for 15 years, said.Fears of a broader conflict are rising following India's recent air strikes into Pakistan — including a rare strike in Punjab."They are living in the middle of a conflict zone — the most militarised zone in the world," Mr Aijaz, who is using a pseudonym to protect his family's safety, said."And they can't flee to the mountains, because that brings them closer to the border. It's even more dangerous, there is no safe zone," he said."The airport is shut. There are no flights, and they couldn't afford it with prices so high, so there is nowhere to flee."Two weeks after 26 tourists were killed by armed militants in India-controlled Kashmir, India's military struck infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.According to Pakistan's military, the strikes killed 31 people, including 26 civilians.Pakistan, which denies any involvement in the Kashmir attack last month, vowed to retaliate against the missile strikes and said it shot down five Indian jet fighters.Four Indian missiles hit a sprawling complex and a mosque in Muridke, outside of Lahore.Thousands of kilometres away in Melbourne, the crisis is being felt in family WhatsApp chats, and late-night phone calls.Families on the frontlineNazish Khan, a Kashmiri woman who's lived in Australia for over 20 years, fears for her family in Bagh, a town in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, who have had to evacuate to nearby areas."The shelling keeps them awake at night, and the children are living in fear, it's heartbreaking," she told the ABC."It's been deeply disturbing and terrifying. We feel helpless and frustrated knowing that innocent lives on both sides are at stake."Nazish Khan and her family on a recent trip to Kashmir. (Supplied: Nazish Khan)She said her family didn't have time to plan and just grabbed the essentials and fled to another family member's home."My family tries to stay strong, but I can hear the fear in their voices. There's uncertainty in every conversation, and it's heartbreaking not knowing what might happen next."The river between nationsWhen Ibrar Ahmed remembers his childhood near the India-Pakistan border, he thinks of the Jhelum River, which flows from the Indus River — not of war."It's our lifeline," said Mr Ahmed, a Pakistani science student at a Melbourne university."We feed our crops from the river, and it quenches the thirst of our cattle."Villages along the Jhelum River are affected by the Indus Water Treaty. (Supplied: Ibrar Ahmed)Water that flows from the Indus throughout Pakistan is controlled by India after a deal brokered in 1960.Eighty per cent of Pakistan's irrigated agriculture and hydropower plants are dependent on the river system under the Indus Water Treaty.There are concerns about how the conflict could affect Pakistan villages using water from the Indus River. (Supplied: Ibrar Ahmed)Mr Ahmed is deeply concerned about how the conflict could affect water access — and survival — where his family lives in Khokhra village, in Gujarat, Pakistan.The area depends on water buffalo, rice, corn and wheat — all of which rely on the Jhelum canal."With India pulling out of the Indus Water Treaty, we don't know what will happen," he said."If they reduce the water flow, it would impact a lot of people's incomes. It's not just political. It's about whether people can survive."Living with uncertaintyFor another student, Huda Shehzad from Lahore, the crisis starts the moment she checks the news each morning."When I wake up and see the headlines, I just want to call my family," she said.Families have had to run for cover in Punjab when India fired missiles into Pakistan. (Supplied: Huda Shehzad)"But the wait — those few hours to catch up because of the time difference — it's stressful. It feels so long."She said it's difficult to keep up a normal routine, especially when friends don't fully understand the stakes."Some say, 'It'll be fine,' but we don't know that," she said.Army soldiers examine a building damaged by a suspected Indian missile attack near Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. (AP: M.D. Mughal)"That's the hard part — the not knowing."On campus, encounters with Indian students can be emotionally complex."Sometimes we joke to ease the tension," she said. "We're all friends here. But it's obvious the governments don't like each other very much."People from Lahore to Kashmir are worried about an escalation in violence. (Supplied: Huda Shehzad)Many worry that another communication blackout could follow."They're also afraid India might shut down internet and phone services in Kashmir," Mr Aijaz said, recalling the 2019 lockdown when the Indian government severed all connections for over 7 million people.He has also heard of police raids targeting those with ties to Pakistan who are living in India-controlled Kashmir."A woman who's lived in Kashmir for 43 years — with her husband and children — was told to leave, she married decades ago," Mr Aijaz said."Now she has to go to a country where she doesn't know anyone. She has to leave her family behind."A region goes darkMuhammad Faisal, a PhD student in Sydney who follows South Asian geopolitics, said he and others in policy circles had been tracking the rising rhetoric for days.But the location of the recent strike by India— Punjab in Pakistan — caught many off guard."This is the first time in 54 years that an air strike has happened in that region," he said."Most people assumed if anything happened, it would be in Kashmir."For Mr Faisal, he believed the escalation was almost inevitable."Both governments pushed themselves into corners with their rhetoric," he said."And now, to back down, each side needs to claim a win to justify it to their domestic audience."India's military has targeted infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir used by militants linked to last month's massacre of tourists.But he's worried about another detail: India advancing construction of four hydropower projects in Kashmir."That's serious. That's not just a military target — that's a vital resource."Pakistan opposes the construction as it could lead to restrictions of water downstream.Mr Faisal said he's lost contact with friends in Kashmir since the air strikes."I left messages, but haven't heard back," he said."They were preparing for a long crisis. Now, they've gone dark."Ms Shehzad, the student originally from Lahore, said it felt like "a tipping point"."We've always worried about something like this," she said."But now it's really happening — and there's a lot of fear."A crisis of identityFor Shree Kotwal, an Indian PhD student in Melbourne, what troubles her most is the celebration she sees among some members of the Indian community.She wanted to ask those community members, "are you so blinded by this incident that you're just hyping it up and not understanding the aftermath of it?""My heart actually sank because I was scared for India," Ms Kotwal said.She is afraid India's secular identity is under threat."Our people and the region deserve peace, not another war," Ms Khan added.Posted 49m ago49 minutes agoThu 8 May 2025 at 7:44amShare optionsCopy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)Top StoriesSecond minister booted from cabinet as PM prepares reshuffleLIVEPhoto shows Ed Husic wearing a blue suit sitting in an office.More women in Labor than ever but top jobs still going to menBAnalysis by Brett WorthingtonPhoto shows Anika Wells Amanda Rishworth Katie Gallagher Anne AlyGreens leader Adam Bandt concedes seat, ending 15 years in parliamentTopic:ElectionsPhoto shows Adam Bandt press gallery doorstopHow one mother's grief and love captured hearts across AustraliaCAnalysis by Cason HoPhoto shows A woman sits in front of a microphone on a dimly lit stage with an emotional expression.'Wish we did better': The timeline of confusion during Westfield Bondi Junction attackTopic:CrimePhoto shows Paramedics stand with stretches near vehicles on a road.Related storiesWill Pakistan go to war with India over water?Topic:ExplainerPhoto shows A man holds a sign at a protest that reads, "Water crimes, war crimes" among a sea of green and white flagsRelated topicsAustraliaCommunity and SocietyDisasters, Accidents and Emergency IncidentsForeign AffairsForeign AidGovernment and PoliticsIndiaJammu and KashmirPakistanRefugeesTerritorial DisputesTerrorismUnrest, Conflict and WarWorld PoliticsTop StoriesSecond minister booted from cabinet as PM prepares reshuffleTopic:Government and PoliticsPhoto shows Ed Husic wearing a blue suit sitting in an office.More women in Labor than ever but top jobs still going to menBAnalysis by Brett WorthingtonGreens leader Adam Bandt concedes seat, ending 15 years in parliamentTopic:ElectionsHow one mother's grief and love captured hearts across AustraliaCAnalysis by Cason Ho'Wish we did better': The timeline of confusion during Westfield Bondi Junction attackTopic:CrimeJust InCabinet ministers Mark Dreyfus, Ed Husic scrapped from new Albanese ministryTopic:Political Leadership22m ago22 minutes agoThu 8 May 2025 at 8:11amWoman doused friend in fuel, set him alight over misogynistic commentTopic:Courts27m ago27 minutes agoThu 8 May 2025 at 8:06am'Feels like a tipping point': India and Pakistan diaspora grapple with Kashmir conflictTopic:Unrest, Conflict and War49m ago49 minutes agoThu 8 May 2025 at 7:44amQueensland appoints first mining coroner amid inquest backlogTopic:Mining and Metals Industry54m ago54 minutes agoThu 8 May 2025 at 7:38amMore Just InBack to top