MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan — Authorities in Pakistan-administered Kashmir have doubled food rations in districts along the Line of Control (LoC), citing the need to prepare for any escalation following a deadly militant attack that has heightened tensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan.
At a government-run mill in Muzaffarabad, workers were seen loading sacks of flour onto trucks over the weekend as part of the rationing effort. Officials said the flour is being dispatched to storage depots located in areas vulnerable to cross-border shelling.
Akbar Ibrahim, food minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, told Reuters that the government has directed the region’s Food Department to extend stockpiles from one month to two months’ worth of rations. The directive comes in response to concerns about supply disruptions if hostilities break out.
The move follows a deadly attack last week in the disputed Kashmir region that left at least 26 people dead, mostly tourists. India has blamed the attack on militants allegedly backed by Pakistan — an accusation Islamabad denies. In response, Pakistan said it had “credible intelligence” suggesting that India may be preparing for retaliatory military action.
“According to government instructions, this flour is being dispatched to all the depots at the Line of Control,” said Syed Zawar Haider, a government food inspector. “We have completed the task of stocking for one month. It will take another three to four days to stock for the second month.”
The region’s Prime Minister, Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, has instructed authorities to increase storage capacity across border districts, according to senior food official Abdul Hameed Kiani. He said there is currently no shortage and that supply lines remain stable.
Despite the precautions, some residents downplayed the risk of war.
“This is routine ration. It is not because of fear of war,” said Sayyad Hussain, a 45-year-old transport worker at a local bus stand. “This is just the monthly ration that goes to every household.”
But others expressed concern about the uncertainty.
“Why should we stockpile?” said Dawar Hussain, a 42-year-old laborer. “Life has no guarantee. I’m alive today. I may not be alive tomorrow. I only think about today.”
The Himalayan region of Kashmir, which has a Muslim-majority population, is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan but controlled in parts by each. The territory has been at the center of three wars, several armed insurgencies, and decades of diplomatic standoff between the neighbors.
