Sarvjeet Singh
Jammu/Srinagar, DD, A tense hush hangs over the border villages of Jammu and Kashmir after a fresh and unprovoked exchange of fire between Indian and Pakistani forces shattered the calm late Wednesday night. The renewed violence, which erupted along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri, Poonch, Kupwara, and Uri sectors, has reignited fear and trauma among civilians who were jolted awake by the sounds of gunfire and mortar blasts.
In the darkness, panic-stricken residents rushed to safety. Families clutched each other inside underground bunkers, praying for the shelling to stop.
“We heard the first explosion around 11:30 pm. The walls rattled, and my heart sank. I grabbed my children and ran to the bunker,” said Zahida Bano, a mother of three from Uri. “We thought the ceasefire meant peace, but peace here is always temporary.”
In Poonch’s Mankote village, Ramesh Chander, a 58-year-old farmer, described the night as “a return to the horrors of the past.”
“We were beginning to rebuild our lives. Now again, we are talking about bunkers, evacuations, and fear. How many more times will we live like refugees in our own homes?”
Schools in several areas remained closed on Wednesday as a precaution. Ambulances were stationed at key points, and local officials began assessing damage to property and livestock.
“Even our cattle were trembling,” said Shabir Lone, a herder from Tangdhar in Kupwara. “My entire flock scattered during the night. I found two goats injured by shrapnel. For people like us, every shell is a threat to both life and livelihood.”
In Rajouri’s Nowshera sector, Meena Kumari, a widow and daily wager, broke down while speaking.
“Whenever there’s shelling, the first thing I do is take my husband’s photo off the wall and hide it in a tin box in the bunker. I lost him in a firing incident in 2002. I can’t lose my son too.”
Young children and elderly residents have been the most affected. Doctors deployed in the region reported multiple cases of anxiety attacks and sleeplessness, especially among children.
“We spent the night holding our 4-year-old close, whispering stories to distract her from the noise,” said Ali Hussain, a schoolteacher in Keran. “How do we explain to our children that this is ‘normal’ for us?”
Community leaders across the LoC have called for immediate intervention. “This cycle of fire and fear must end. We urge both sides to maintain the ceasefire and open humanitarian dialogue,” said Sarpanch Harbans Lal from Balakote.
As the sun rose over the smoky skies and shattered rooftops, villagers ventured out cautiously, their eyes scanning the hills for movement, their ears alert to every sound.
“We don’t want much,” said Nazir Ahmad, a shopkeeper in Gurez. “Just a night’s sleep without fear and a morning without the smell of gunfire.”(DD)