Kashmiris hail ceasefire agreement, but unsure it will hold.

Byline: Tariq Naqash

MUZAFFARABAD -- Having borne the brunt of hostilities across the Line of Control (LoC) for years together, residents in Azad Kashmir on Friday welcomed the ceasefire agreement between Pakistan and India, but were unsure that it would hold long enough.

'Thank God, they have realised the harrowing consequences of shelling...and have resolved to maintain truce across this line that has divided Kashmiris from each other,'said Gul Zareen, a 50-year-old resident of Bugna village, in Neelum valley.

The picturesque valley, the biggest tourist draw in Azad Kashmir, runs along the heavily militarised LoC and has seen some heart-rending episodes of late, for instance the Nov 2016 Indian attack on a passenger bus that left nine passengers dead on the spot.

In a landmark decision in Nov 2003, Pakistan and India had agreed to silence their guns across the LoC and, barring isolated incidents of firing, the agreement held for over a decade.

But in recent years, particularly since 2016, ceasefire violations have been taking place virtually every day. According to Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, a minister in the Azad Kashmir cabinet, six civilians have been injured so far this year in over 40 ceasefire violations by the Indian army.

Last year, 33 civilians were killed and another 260 wounded in Indian shelling while the figures for 2019 were 59 dead and 281 injured. In 2018, 28 people lost their lives while 172 were injured.

'The huge loss of public and private properties was in addition to the casualties,' the minister added.

During interludes between uneasy calm and fresh outbreak of hostilities, the 200-km-long Neelum valley sees substantial investment in the tourism sector as people from across the country visit the region famed for its alpine mountains, lush green meadows, glacial lakes and icy water channels.

Most investors, many of whom were from outside AJK, were all but ruined as skirmishes and artillery duels forced them to wrap up their businesses.

'I built a beautiful rest house in the upper belt of Neelum valley with a view to providing quality accommodation to visitors, but little did I know that ceasefire violations will keep them away,' said Munir Mir, a resident of Muzaffarabad. 'Now that they (Pakistan and India) have agreed to a ceasefire, I and all others feel relaxed.'

Scepticism is rife

However, while local residents in most areas in the vicinity of the LoC in AJK also expressed satisfaction at the announcement, they did...