Children in PoK trained for war response as India-Pakistan tensions rise after Pahalgam terror attack

NEW DELHI: As tensions between India and Pakistan soar following the deadly April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 tourists, schools in Pakistan-administered Kashmir have started training children in emergency response drills, converting playgrounds into makeshift first aid camps and evacuation zones.

In Muzaffarabad area of PoK, the region’s largest city, students can now be seen wearing protective helmets and fluorescent vests as they learn how to treat injuries, escape from buildings, and extinguish fires — all under the looming threat of possible conflict. “With India threatening us, there's a possibility of war, so we'll all have to support each other,” said 13-year-old Konain Bibi during a first aid session.

Authorities say the initiative is aimed at equipping students with basic survival skills amid rising fears of military escalation. “In an emergency, schools are the first to be affected, which is why we are starting evacuation training with schoolchildren,” said Abdul Basit Moughal, a trainer from Pakistan’s Civil Defence directorate. So far, sessions have been conducted in 13 schools and will soon expand to institutions near the Line of Control (LoC), the heavily militarised de facto border between the two nations.

Pakistan claims it has “credible intelligence” of an imminent Indian military strike, a claim that follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s order granting the Indian military “complete operational freedom” in response to the Pahalgam terror attack . Islamabad, however, has denied any involvement in the assault.

The LoC region, home to around 1.5 million people, has witnessed several nights of cross-border shelling in violation of a ceasefire agreement. In villages like Chakothi, just three kilometres from the border, residents are fortifying underground bunkers and bracing for violence. “For a week we are living under constant fear,” said local shopkeeper Iftikhar Ahmad Mir.

Parents in these areas say their greatest concern is their children’s safety. “We are extremely worried about their safety on the way to school because the area was targeted by the Indian army in the past,” Mir added. “We make sure they don't roam around after finishing their school and come straight home.”

There are more than 6,000 schools, colleges and universities in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, including nearly 1,200 along the LoC. Civil Defence officials said additional rescue personnel will soon be deployed to support schools near the border.