Pakistan army chief vows ‘swift, resolute’ response to any military action by India

SHIKARPUR, Sindh: Once dubbed the “Paris of Sindh” for its perfumed gardens and vibrant markets, the historic city of Shikarpur in Pakistan’s southeastern region now stands as a shadow of its former self — its havelis weathered, its bazaars dimmed and its legacy slipping into silence.
Founded in 1617, the city was once home to grand mosques, ornate Hindu temples and covered markets. These structures continue to stand as a tribute to Shikarpur’s bygone era, marked by extraordinary economic supremacy and cultural diversity.
The city rose to prominence during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as a powerful trade hub linking South and Central Asia. Its merchants dealt in precious stones, textiles and other high-value goods, extending their influence to markets in Kabul, Bukhara, Samarkand and beyond.
“It’s like a treasure of history. It’s like a treasure of heritage sites,” said Professor Anila Naeem, whose 2017 book, Urban Traditions and Historic Environments in Sindh: A Fading Legacy of Shikarpur, extensively documents the city’s historic fabric.
“For me the woodwork is the most fascinating,” she added. “Woodwork, which is not just plain and simple woodwork, but it has iconography in it which reflects the religious inclinations, the political inclinations ... those buildings speak of the history of that city, which was definitely very, very rich.”

Rajpal Rewachand, a businessman and lawyer in the city, maintained the role of Hindu settlers was pivotal in the city’s development, noting that their arrival along trade paths spurred commercial expansion and the construction of many still-standing heritage structures.
“The city’s development happened when Hindu settlers arrived,” he said while standing within the historic Pooj Udasin Samadha Ashram, a once-thriving religious and community complex.
“Before them, the majority of the residents were either Punjabis or people who had migrated from Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara.”
The city’s signature Dhak Bazaar, a covered market said to be one of the oldest of its kind in South Asia, and landmarks like the Shahi Bagh, Clock Tower and Tara Chand Hospital were once considered marvels of civic infrastructure.
At the height of its economic might, Shikarpur operated both formal and informal financial systems. The informal banking system was so reliable, according to locals, it made traveling with cash unnecessary.
“If someone had to travel to any corner of the world, they wouldn’t carry money with them,” said Nazeer Ahmed Qureshi, a cloth merchant in Dhak Bazaar, adding a stamped note by a local merchant would get him money.

“No matter where in the world one traveled, Shikarpur’s money was recognized,” he added.
But the city that was once surrounded by lush gardens and fruit groves is now clearly in decline.
According to Mehdi Shah, a local researcher and author, Shikarpur went into a downward spiral after the Hindu trading families were uprooted during the 1947 Partition.
“After the Partition of India, the Hindu population migrated, and their architectural legacy was not maintained as it once was,” he said.
As the city’s ownership shifted and wealth drained away, its buildings were left to deteriorate. Those who moved into the once-grand havelis lacked the means to preserve them, accelerating the decline.

“The shift in ownership, coupled with the activities of antique dealers, has placed these architectural treasures at increased risk,” Shah added.
The decay is not just physical but institutional. Despite a 1998 notification declaring the entire city a heritage site under the Sindh Cultural Heritage Protection Act — and a 2013 effort to designate 1,203 properties as protected — most of Shikarpur’s historic buildings have been left to deteriorate.

Professor Naeem said that restoration could help revive both the city’s cultural pride and economic fortunes, particularly if Pakistan invests in heritage tourism.
Sitting amid the fading relics in the heart of Dhak Bazaar, cloth merchant Qureshi reflects on the distance between memory and present reality.
“Such a beautiful past— such a grand historical city, a magnificent city with its rich culture, trade, lifestyle,” he said, his voice echoing through the narrow, shop-lined passage. “It feels like a dream, as if stepping into another world.”

MUZAFFARABAD: The government of Pakistan-administered Kashmir has closed all religious seminaries in the region for 10 days, officials said on Thursday, citing fears they would be targeted by Indian strikes following a deadly attack on tourists in Indian Kashmir.
Islamabad says it has credible intelligence that India intends to launch military action soon, with New Delhi alleging that the attack on tourists was carried out by Pakistani nationals with ties to militant organizations based there.
The director of Pakistani Kashmir’s Department of Religious Affairs, Hafiz Nazir Ahmad, told Reuters that security officials feared Indian forces may target seminaries and label them as militant training centers.
The notification seen by Reuters, dated April 30, only cited a heatwave as the reason for the closure.
“Right now, we are facing two kinds of heat — one from the weather and the other from (Indian Prime Minister) Modi,” Ahmad said of the notification, saying they did not mention the risk of attacks in a bid to avoid panic.
India’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. India has previously targeted sites in Pakistan alleging they were bases of militants close to the Kashmir border.
“We held a meeting yesterday in which it was unanimously decided not to put innocent children at risk,” Ahmad said. The President’s Office of Pakistani Kashmir also said the closure was due to “precautionary reasons.”
There are 445 registered seminaries with over 26,000 students enrolled in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, according to the religious affairs department.
The seminaries — locally known as madrasas — are Islamic educational institutions run by religious organizations, providing cheap, often free, alternatives to regular schools.
Pakistan has said it will respond “assuredly and decisively” to any military action from India, raising the specter of war between the two nuclear-armed countries.
Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is claimed in full but ruled in parts by both India and Pakistan, and has been the site of two wars and multiple skirmishes.
Many Muslims in Indian Kashmir have long resented what they see as heavy-handed rule by India. In 1989, an insurgency by Muslim separatists began. India poured troops into the region and tens of thousands of people have been killed.
India accuses Pakistan of arming and training militants, which Islamabad denies, saying it offers only moral and diplomatic support. Seminaries have been criticized for radicalizing youth toward extremism.