MD Mughal\/AP<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Pakistan said on Tuesday that 40 civilians had been killed and 121 wounded in Indian firing, and that 11 members of its armed forces had been killed. India has previously said 15 civilians were killed and 59 wounded and that it had lost five soldiers. <\/p>\n
For the roughly 15 million people living in the contested region, the latest bout of hostilities has appeared to push a political solution for their home further away than ever. <\/p>\n
But the immediate concern in both sides of Kashmir is how long the skies will stay quiet. <\/p>\n
\u201cMarkets are open again and some people who had left have slowly started coming back,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere still is that anxiety about what might happen when night comes,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n
On the other side of the Line of Control, in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, Saima Ashraf shared those feelings. <\/p>\n
\u201cUncertainty still prevails,\u201d she said. \u201cMany believe it (the ceasefire) is not a permanent solution.\u201d <\/p>\n
Others are unclear about when they can return to their homes and villages. <\/p>\n
\u201cMany of them are waiting to see how the situation develops before making a decision about returning,\u201d Akhtar Ayoub, a local administration official in Pakistan\u2019s Neelum Valley, told Reuters. <\/p>\n
Raja Shoukat Iqbal, who lives near the de facto border, described the ceasefire as \u201cessential for the people of Kashmir\u201d who he said were paying a high price on both sides of the divide. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis peace was also necessary on the international level because both countries are nuclear powers, any mistakes or anger of any country could cause the deaths of two billion people,\u201d he posited. <\/p>\n
Kashmir has been a flashpoint since 1947, when British India was hastily divided into two by its former colonial rulers. <\/p>\n
What followed was the birth of two nations: Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. Millions suddenly found themselves on the \u201cwrong\u201d side of the new border, leading to a frantic and bloody mass migration that tore communities asunder. <\/p>\n
Kashmir, a Muslim-majority state led by a Hindu monarch, was in a unique position. Pakistan laid claim to the territory, while the prince chose India. <\/p>\n
Both Pakistan and India, two nations gripped by fervent nationalism, believe that Muslim-majority Kashmir is an integral part of their countries. <\/p>\n
For Pakistan \u2013 which was founded as a homeland for South Asia\u2019s Muslims \u2013 Kashmir\u2019s division is viewed as a grave historic injustice. <\/p>\n
The country\u2019s powerful military is run by the general Asim Munir, known for his hardline stance on India. Weeks before the latest conflict, he described Kashmir as Pakistan\u2019s \u201cjugular vein,\u201d according to local media reports. <\/p>\n
India has long accused Pakistan of funding terror groups in Kashmir, an accusation denied by Islamabad. Pakistan, meanwhile, seeks to position the cause of violence in the region as a result of New Delhi\u2019s alleged \u201coppression.\u201d <\/p>\n
Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pushed a more uncompromising position on the contested land. <\/p>\n
In 2019, his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government split the former state into two union territories, giving the government in New Delhi greater control over the Muslim-majority region. <\/p>\n
India and Pakistan have both claimed victory from their latest conflict. <\/p>\n
New Delhi says its strikes inside Pakistani territory \u2013 the deepest since one of their wars in 1971 \u2013 have eradicated terror camps used to plot attacks on India \u2013 including the massacre of tourists last month that sparked the conflict. <\/p>\n
Pakistan says its air force shot down five Indian warplanes, including advanced French-made Rafale fighter jets. <\/p>\n
On Monday, in his first remarks since the fighting started, Modi said India had \u201conly suspended our responsive attack on Pakistan\u2019s terror and military hubs.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cIn the coming days we will measure Pakistan\u2019s every step,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Those on both sides of the border have long been living under the threat of shelling and strikes. <\/p>\n