‘Anxiety and Fear’: Bay Area Indians, Pakistanis React to Escalating Cross-Border Tensions

Bay Area residents with roots in India and Pakistan are watching anxiously as tensions rise between the two countries.

While the two South Asian countries have fought multiple wars and skirmishes since Britain divided its former colony into two separate states, a recent attack on civilians has stoked conflict.

Speaking on CNN this week, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Santa Clara) urged Pakistani Army Chief Aseem Munir not to retaliate against India after it launched multiple missiles at the country. He said the “most urgent thing is de-escalation.”

“We are bringing the Indian American Caucus and the Pakistani Caucus together in the Congress next week to show that Americans of South Asian origin want peace in the region and are working with each other to push for that,” he said in a statement to KQED.

Current tensions arose from an attack in the Himalayan territory of Kashmir, a region divided and disputed by India, Pakistan and China. In late April, a group of militants killed 26 tourists in Pahalgam, a small town located in the India-administered portion of the region. A majority of the victims were Hindus.

Indian officials blamed Pakistan for the attack and suspended a water treaty with Pakistan, citing national security concerns, and ousted military advisers from the Pakistani embassy in New Delhi.

Officials from Pakistan have denied involvement in the attack.

Since then, both countries have launched missile attacks against each other, killing some civilians and injuring others.

In the Bay Area, home to one of the largest diasporas of Indian and Pakistani communities in the U.S., residents are watching the conflict unfold from afar.

“There’s just a lot of anxiety and fear of what’s to come,” said Anu Mandavilli, an organizer with the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action. “[Both countries] also have huge armies, both have nuclear arms, so it’s very scary to think that … there’s going to be one more war between these two countries.”

India and Pakistan started developing and testing nuclear weapons in the late 20th century. According to estimates from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, both countries have about 170 missiles each.

Mandavilli said, while some Bay Area residents from India are still angry from the attacks and are “cheering on this war,” many people are calling for peace. She said, residents within India and Pakistan may hear inflammatory rhetoric from political parties there, but members of the diaspora do not necessarily share those sentiments.

“In the diaspora, when you actually meet people from the other country, you have an opportunity to actually get to know them and … dream of peace,” she said. “We are so alike. Whether it’s the food, the clothing or the language or the culture, values — there is so much that is similar … The diasporas have a role in building solidarity with each other’s communities.”

In a statement to KQED, Zahra Billoo, executive director for the San Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said that many residents are checking in with family members in Pakistan, India and Kashmir, and were praying for safety and peace.

“We continue to monitor developments closely and urge elected officials to support de-escalation, accountability and the protection of civilians,” she said.