CHAKOTHI, Jan 5: Hopes are rising high among the people living along the LoC in Azad Kashmir that the gathering of Saarc leaders in Islamabad will herald a durable truce in areas which have regularly witnessed deaths and destruction in Indian shelling.

"When the top leaders of the region meet, one naturally hopes they will go for something concrete to establish lasting peace in this part of the world," said Mohammad Deen, a resident of Chakothi, some 60 kilometres south of Muzaffarabad.

The town lies in front of Indian posts, visible across the LoC with the naked eye, and it has been regularly shelled over the past 14 years. Wrecked shops and buildings in the town still reveal the punishment suffered by years of indiscriminate shelling.

"The ceasefire has brought relief to the people but this is not a permanent solution. Leaders of this region need to seriously consider a sustainable solution," Deen, a retired government servant, told Dawn.

He particularly called upon the Indian leadership "to seize the opportunity and make the truce undying by resolving the basic problem." Vegetable seller Mohammad Shabbir said he prayed for the continuity of peace in the wake of the ceasefire.

"Shelling dislodged us frequently. It had literally ruined our lives. I pray the ceasefire should will hold good," said Shabbir whose wife was killed in shelling in May last year. Shabbir's neighbour, Mohammad Sadiq, echoed his views.

Sadiq, a hotelier, said his business had been ruined during the days of unrelenting shelling, but it picked up momentum after the guns fell silent along the heavily militarized LoC.

"The situation before the truce was horrific. We had no respite, neither in the day nor at night," he recalled, adding: "But, now there is a pleasant change. I am happy to be able to earn my livelihood after a long time."

Student Yasir Mahmood urged both India and Pakistan "to find ways to let the people of Kashmir live in peace." The ceasefire, he said, had relieved them of a constant state of fear and anxiety.

"In the afternoon we now play outdoor games on this ground, thanks to the ceasefire. But, who knows how long the truce will remain in place? Indian and Pakistani leaders need to work out a lasting solution to the root cause," said the 10th grade student.

The boys' high school building in Chakothi is yet to be properly repaired. However, after the ceasefire, classes can be held in the school lawn without fear. Residents said a private primary school, whose own building had been razed by shelling, had also resumed classes in a basement in the bazaar.

Peace activist Khawaja Zafar said vested interests had sown hatred between India and Pakistan and hoped that the leaders of the two countries would demonstrate prudence to create a durable amity, goodwill and camaraderie among their people.

"Exchange of delegations by India and Pakistan is a welcoming thing. But they should not confine this process to themselves. The Kashmiris should also be allowed to meet each other because interaction between them will help to reduce tensions and give substance to peace initiatives," said Zafar, who heads the 'Press for Peace' NGO.

When contacted in Muzaffarabad, the AJK minister for forests Mufti Mansoorur Rehman said an atmosphere of relief prevailed among the residents of border areas following the ceasefire.

"Their unanimous demand is for a continuation of the ceasefire. What else should the sufferers of worst shelling hope for?" said the minister who represents Neelum Valley.

"The commoners do not know about the charter of Saarc and that's why they might be hopeful that something or the other would happen regarding Kashmir when the region's responsible persons meet," Mr Rehman said.

He said though Kashmir was not on the agenda, the Indian leaders were in a position to benefit one billion people of the subcontinent, by making some headway towards a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir issue.