Brampton residents react to India-Pakistan conflict: 'We focus more on what unites us'

Rochelle Raveendran · CBC News

· Posted: May 07, 2025 5:59 PM EDT | Last Updated: 40 minutes ago

Some residents successful Brampton who are from India and Pakistan accidental they are acrophobic for their relatives backmost location arsenic tensions soar betwixt the 2 countries.

Married mates Sadaf Iqbal, who is from Pakistan, and Harman Singh, who is from India, accidental they person enactment plans to sojourn India connected clasp aft the state said each visas issued to Pakistani nationals volition beryllium revoked. 

While their families are harmless now, "of people it tin escalate, truthful they are truly disquieted astir it," Iqbal said. 

The couple, who person 3 children, person visited India respective times. They were readying a travel to Pakistan successful the adjacent 2 years, but that has present been cancelled arsenic good successful airy of caller exchanges betwixt the 2 countries. 

India fired missiles into Pakistani-controlled territory successful respective locations aboriginal Wednesday, sidesplitting dozens successful what Pakistan's person called an enactment of war. India besides claims determination are casualties from Pakistani occurrence successful the Indian-controlled information of Kashmir.

WATCH | How tensions flared anew for nuclear-armed rivals: 

India said it was striking infrastructure utilized by militants linked to a massacre of tourists last month in its information of Kashmir. At slightest 7 radical died successful Indian-controlled Kashmir from artillery exchanges.

Pakistan said astatine slightest 26 radical died successful the missile strikes and 5 from artillery exchanges on the Line of Control that separates the 2 countries successful the contested Kashmir region.

Canada has issued question advisories for India and Pakistan, informing radical to workout "a precocious grade of caution" and saying each question should beryllium avoided successful definite areas. 

Iqbal and Singh said they person friends from some countries, and they each travel unneurotic successful Brampton to observe each other's taste festivals. 

Over 27 per cent of Brampton's colonisation is from India, according to 2021 census data, portion astir 4 per cent of residents are from Pakistan. 

"We truly request to permission our worldly down [in] the past and truly absorption connected the future," Iqbal said. "That's however bid is going to come." 

She said she was welcomed with unfastened arms by her husband's family, which is portion of the crushed wherefore they've visited India truthful galore times. 

"When I joined him, I ne'er looked astatine him as, he's Sikh oregon he's from India," she said. "It was conscionable much about, we emotion each other." 

"Our kids, they don't cognize the religion difference, but they cognize it's conscionable astir love." 

Residents link playing for Brampton cricket club 

Meanwhile the proprietor of the Brampton Raiders, a cricket nine successful the city, said the athletics is simply a mode to unite radical of each nationalities. 

"We person radical [from] each religion, each state and they each get on truly well," said Kevin Bhathal. 

Bhathal, who is from India, said players don't speech astir tensions betwixt India and Pakistan. 

"We travel arsenic a team, we play arsenic a team, we correspond the team," helium said. "We don't correspond immoderate country, we don't correspond immoderate religion." 

He added, "If we tin coexist present together, they tin coexist implicit there, too." 

Ehtisham Tahir, whose household is from Pakistan, is simply a manager for the club. He says residents successful Brampton created an "exemplary community" that doesn't ore connected their differences. 

"Canada arsenic a full has been this melting pot. We each travel from antithetic backgrounds and origins, and we absorption much connected what unites us," helium said. 

"Rather than talking astir religion, we're talking astir what is astatine the halfway of our humanity." 

Tahir said helium is hoping for a speedy and peaceful resolution. 

"I don't deliberation immoderate of america wants to spot guiltless lives being wasted connected either broadside of the border," helium said.