Nazim Ali Manhas/Sarvjeet Singh/Diplomat Special Correspondent Srinagar
Jammu, (DD): As fresh cross-border skirmishes erupt along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, residents of forward villages are once again gripped by fear. The situation has reignited long-standing demands for permanent community bunkers, with locals urging the government to prioritize their safety as hostilities resurface.
Inhabitants of border villages in Poonch, Rajouri, and Uri sectors report sleepless nights and growing anxiety, especially following a recent militant attack in Pahalgam, South Kashmir, that left two security personnel injured and shattered a period of relative calm.
“We live with death over our heads. Each time a shell lands nearby, we just pray it doesn’t hit our homes,” said Mohammad Younis, a resident of Balakote sector in Poonch. “We have been pleading for community bunkers for years, but our cries are lost in files.”
In Kakripora, Uri, where gunfire echoed just days ago, Razia Begum, a mother of three, recounted the terror of taking shelter in a roadside culvert. “There’s no safe place for our children. When the firing starts, we run blindly. The government must act before lives are lost.”
Pahalgam Attack Reopens Wounds
The recent April 27 militant ambush in Pahalgam, Anantnag district, involved a targeted attack on an Army patrol vehicle, injuring two soldiers. The attack, claimed by a shadowy militant group, marked the first such strike in the tourist hub in nearly a decade. Security agencies fear it signals a strategic shift in militant operations aimed at destabilizing peaceful zones and spreading fear ahead of the summer tourist season.
A senior police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “There are growing concerns that the LoC incidents and the Pahalgam attack are part of a broader attempt to create psychological and physical insecurity in the region.”
Delayed Safety Measures
The Ministry of Home Affairs had approved the construction of over 14,000 community and individual bunkers along vulnerable border areas in J&K in 2018. However, progress has been slow, with locals claiming that many bunkers remain incomplete or are absent altogether in the most affected zones.
Shabir Ahmad, a schoolteacher from Rajouri, said, “Peace is fragile here. We don’t ask for much—just basic protection to survive these violent episodes.”
As border tensions rise once again, the demands for community bunkers are not just about infrastructure—they are about restoring a sense of dignity, safety, and hope to lives caught in the crossfire(DD)
