MEMBERS of the Pakistani and Indian diaspora in Britain have called for peace after tensions escalated between the countries following a deadly attack on tourists in the disputed Kashmir region.

Twenty-six civilians were killed by gunmen in the resort town of Pahalgam on April 22, marking the deadliest militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir since 2019.

India has blamed Pakistan for the attack, a charge Islamabad strongly rejects.

The latest flare-up led the two nuclear-armed rivals to expel each other’s diplomats and nationals, as well as the closing of airspace, and India has also suspended a critical water-sharing treaty with Pakistan.

Members of the Pakistani and Indian communities in East Ham, London, are hoping for “harmony and peace.”

British Pakistani lawyer Adil Iqbal Malik said: “People who are living here in the UK, they are worried about their families back home.

“The region is a nuclear flash point, and Kashmir is a core issue between both countries.”

Junaid Ali, 45, from Islamabad, runs a foodbank in East Ham. He said community cohesion is important.

“Here [in Newham] both residents of India and Pakistan are living like brothers and sisters,” he said.

“There is no such tension here.

“I think that both countries should sit at the table and resolve their issues, because the war will not lead to anywhere except destruction.”

Devshi Khatani and his wife Jayashree, from the Indian side of the border, said they are concerned about a war starting.

The couple said the attack in Kashmir should not have happened in the first place.