Kashmir locals say its ‘time to settle India-Pakistan conflict for good’ as migrant workers, tourists flee and crisis intensifies

In Jammu and Kashmir, taxi drivers say business is down by more than 80 per cent compared with two years ago, while hotels are only getting a handful of guests

Tensions soared between India and Pakistan in recent days as both sides launched said they launched air strikes

2-MIN READ2-MIN

Stranded passengers sit with their belongings outside the Sri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport in wake of border tension between India and Pakistan. Photo: EPA

Published: 10:29am, 28 Feb 2019Updated: 2:22pm, 28 Feb 2019

Migrant workers are fleeing India’s northern state of Jammu and Kashmir and tourist arrivals have fallen to a trickle amid an escalating conflict with Pakistan, badly hurting businesses in the Himalayan region known for its scenic beauty and fruit harvests.

Hundreds of taxis stood idle at the main railway station of Jammu, the winter capital of the state, after Pakistan said it carried out air strikes in India and shot down two Indian jets on Wednesday, a day after Indian warplanes struck inside Pakistan for the first time since a war in 1971.

“My wife is really scared and has been calling me back,” Brajesh Prasad, who works at a white limestone factory near Jammu, told Reuters outside the emergency ticket counter at the railway station, as he sought to catch a train back to his village in Uttar Pradesh state.

Indian police officers stand guard at barricades outside Sri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport in wake of border tension between India and Pakistan. Photo: EPA

“I first came here two years ago, but decided last night it’s no longer safe to remain here. I know there would be no work back home for me, it’s not even the planting or harvest season to get some farm work.”