Rana Basharat Ali KhanCommunity leaders have called on people to remain united as tensions increase between India and Pakistan after military strikes reported between the two countries.
On Wednesday, Indian forces launched targeting sites from “the Sindoor operation” in Pakistan and the cashmere administered by Pakistan, in retaliation for a deadly militant attack on the cashmere administered by the Indians who killed at least 26 people on April 22.
Pakistan denies its participation, but the Indian authorities allege that the attackers included Pakistani nationals.
In the west of England, the impact of the conflict is reverberating on families that call on WhatsApp, anxious calls. Local leaders also compete to offer advice and solidarity.
There is an increasing concern, not only for loved ones abroad, but also on the risk of disturbing unity between communities in the region.
Bristol Green Party Advisor Abdul Malik, who recently returned from his ancestral village to Azad Jammu-et-Cachemire, said that climbing tension “caused a lot of sorrow”.
After the strikes on Wednesday in Pakistan, a rally took place at the Jamia Mosque in Easton.
“It is so important to give a feeling of security to the elders who have lived most of their lives in the United Kingdom but who always feel so connected to what is happening abroad,” said Malik.
“It is not a war on religion. It is a political war on borders. We must not bring hatred to our streets and our houses.
“Bristol has a wonderful Indian and Pakistani community. We sat together. We have listened. It’s time to stay united – and that’s what we intend to do.”
Abdul Malik“Trying to avoid conflicts is my main concern,” Pankaj Pandya, one of the Hindu temple administrators in Bristol, said.
“I hope that it does not degenerate, and that it does not become a blow for the tatte causing a pure and simple war between two nuclear nations.
“Being myself Indian, it is a concern not only of what is happening between India and Pakistan, but generally war problems worldwide.”
Local leaders in western England also urge communities not to spread online disinformation.
“There are a lot of false information and false news that does not help the situation,” said AFFAR, vice-president of Swindon Pakistan Association.
“So we have said and encouraged our communities not to share unconceived reports.”
Pakistan says 36 people were killed by Indian air strikes and fire. India claims that at least 16 people were killed by Pakistani bombings on its side of the de facto border.
“As a person in the Pakistani diaspora, it is quite sad to see that there are tensions between the two communities and innocent life have been lost on both sides of the border,” said Ghafar.
“We do not want nothing to spread in this part of the world because we have very good cordial and friendly relations with our Indian diaspora community which lived with us side by side for 50 to 60 years.”
On April 29, an interconfessional and intercultural meeting was organized in Bristol by the International Human Rights Movement (HRM), the Bristol Pakistani Forum and the Multi-Faith Forum.
Rana Basharat Ali Khan, president of the HRM, said: “It’s so horrible to see something like that in the 21st century.
“This is not something we want to attend at that time, while we are fighting for justice.
“We have to change our priorities – we have to focus and invest in man rather than defense and we have to get out of this mentality affected by war.”
The cashmere administered by the Indians saw an insurrection of several decades which won thousands of lives.
The cashmere is claimed in whole by India and Pakistan, but administered only in part by each, because they were partitioned after the independence of Great Britain in 1947.
Countries fought two wars in the region.
After the attack on April 22 in Pahalgam, the cashmere administered by the Indians, a Hindu prayer vigil took place on April 27 at the Hindu Peace Garden in Gloucester to remember the victims of the deadly attack.
Addressing the BBC Radio Gloucestershire on the eve, Manish Jani said: “It is something horrible against humanity, not only against a country.”
Hema Patel echoes these emotions: “Many people have been killed, including Christians and Muslims. It is not a question of condemning a religion; we simply pray for peace.”
Dr. Ashok and Dr. Pravin Patel, co -presidents of the Hindu cultural association, both stressed unity and empathy on the division.
“The first religion is humanity,” said Dr. Pravin. “Any heinous act of one human on another is a stain on humanity.”
Atiff GhfarThe Indian government claims that its forces launched “Operation Sindoor”, “hitting a terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan and the cashmere administered by Pakistan “, hence terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed”.
In a statement, the Indian government said that “nine sites had been targeted”.
“Our actions have been targeted, measured and not climbed. No Pakistani military installation has been targeted. India has demonstrated a considerable deduction in the selection of targets and the execution method.”
The press release added that the attack was ordered after the deadly militant attack last month against tourists at the cashmere administered in India.
