Fear, tension rise in Kashmir

NEELUM Valley, Pakistan: Roads were empty, shops shuttered and hotels vacant in Pakistani-administered Kashmir on Wednesday, as tension mounted along the de-facto border with India following Delhi’s decision to bring part of the disputed Himalayan territory under its direct control.

Fears have spread throughout the Pakistani side of Kashmir that hostilities may reignite between the nuclear-armed rivals, following the stripping of Indian Kashmir’s autonomous status on Monday by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.