There’s never a dull moment along the Line of Control, and this week’s military tit-for-tat between India and Pakistan proves, once again, that peace in the Kashmir region remains as elusive as a snow leopard in summer.
On one side: an Indian airstrike, reportedly surgical in intent but blunt in consequence. On the other hand, Pakistan’s familiar response—artillery fire across the mountainous border. Add in a deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, allegedly targeting Indian tourists and traced back to militants with suspected ties to Pakistan. Suddenly, your Himalayan holiday looks more like a bad Jason Bourne sequel.
Enter Global Rescue, the well-suited cavalry of the travel world, stepping in with calm, clinical urgency. Their advice? Pack up and go—preferably yesterday.
“The situation is fluid and could escalate,” warned Kent Webber, Global Rescue’s Senior Manager of Intelligence Services and a former Pentagon man who’s traded war rooms for war zones. You can picture him saying it with all the emotion of someone ordering a black coffee—because when you’ve seen enough flashpoints, you learn to keep your voice steady.
But make no mistake: behind that steadiness is a very real concern.
“The region is unstable, and civilians—including travellers—need to be on high alert,” Webber continued. “This isn’t a drill.”
Dan Richards is standing in the operations room.
Dan Richards, CEO of Global Rescue and the man you’d want on speed dial when your yoga retreat turns into a military checkpoint, was equally blunt. “Our medical and security operations teams are tracking the situation closely,” he said. “If things go south, we’re prepared to evacuate our clients.”
This isn’t Global Rescue’s first rodeo. They’ve pulled people out of Sudan, Ukraine, Chile, and Nigeria. When the world turns inside out, they quietly get people home. But Kashmir is a different beast. The terrain’s tricky, the politics are hotter than a samosa stand in August, and evacuation routes can close faster than you can say “embassy directive.”
So what’s the advice?
Well, for starters: avoid the area. If you’re already in the region, charge your phone, keep your documents within reach, and prepare a go-bag with the essentials. Yes, that includes your passport—even if it doubles as a coaster under your chai latte.
“Watch for protests. Listen to embassy alerts. And if an evacuation is ordered, don’t faff about,” Webber advised, imagining some poor soul waiting for the hotel Wi-Fi to reconnect before checking for updates. “Delaying can mean being trapped. Move early.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is advising Australians to reconsider travel to the region altogether. Smartraveller.gov.au has raised its alert level again. That site, incidentally, should be bookmarked right next to your boarding pass.
Global Rescue also notes that seemingly small things—like knowing the location of your nearest embassy or packing a power bank—can be the difference between safe passage and an unwanted starring role on the nightly news.
And if you’re wondering whether this might fizzle out quietly, Kashmir doesn’t have the best track record for quiet endings. It’s a tinderbox between territorial disputes, proxy militias, and two nuclear-armed neighbours with more history than a Tolstoy novel. One that travellers would do well to steer clear of for the time being.
As Richards put it, in the understatement of the year: “We’re ready to respond. But we hope it doesn’t come to that.”
A hope we all share—but one best carried with a packed bag, a charged phone, and a taxi idling outside.
By Sandra Jones
