Kashmir in limbo amid rising Indo-Pak tensions

Posted by admin_kas on 2025-05-09 09:22:18 |

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Amid sleepless nights, fear grips evacuated border residents

KS News Desk 

Baramulla, May 09: As India’s Operation Sindoor continues, life in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir remains paralyzed, with the looming fear of war making daily existence difficult for residents.

Fear is everywhere—an unsettling uncertainty hangs in the air. People are left wondering: What will happen next? Are we really safe?

The ground situation in Kashmir reflects widespread anxiety, with fear visible on every face. Residents are left waiting and questioning: What will happen next? Are we really safe? Many have appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to protect Kashmir from those who threaten peace.

“What is our mistake? Why are we repeatedly victimized? How long must the people of Jammu and Kashmir endure this destruction? We were just beginning to recover from past horrors, rebuilding our lives and businesses in peace—yet again, we are being pushed toward devastation,” said a group of shopkeepers in Lal Chowk, Srinagar.

"While we support a strong response to the enemies of peace, the current environment is affecting us deeply. Still, we remain hopeful and have full faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. We trust relief will come soon, and our businesses will flourish again," they said.

Several residents from the border town of Uri—now relocated to safer areas in Baramulla and its outskirts—expressed gratitude toward the administration.

“We are thankful for the administration’s support during this crisis. Since Wednesday, teams from various civil departments, along with the police, have been ensuring our safety and well-being,” they said.

Anjuman, a student, said they are safe now as the Baramulla district administration’s efforts have made them feel secure after surviving the initial shelling on Tuesday night.

"My entire family, along with others, was evacuated from Uri, and we are now receiving all necessary facilities," she said.

She also appealed for peace saying that tension between the two nations must end.

"We, the younger generation, do not want to witness such destruction. We dream of a bright and successful future," she said.

Meeru Akther, a mother of three daughters, shared her anguish and said they are proud of nation for giving a befitting reply to the enemies of peace.

"But what is our fault? Why are made to suffer? Our houses are damaged while the family members injured, and helpless," she said.

She appealed to PM Modi for protection.

"We are poor and have already endured enough from cross-border shelling. At least save our younger generation," she said.

Reports from the Tangdar sector indicate that the Kupwara district administration has been relocating residents to safer areas since Wednesday.

“Just a week ago, there was laughter and bonfires here,” said Imtiyaz Ahmad, who had converted part of his home in Uri into a homestay for trekkers last year. “Today, there’s only silence, broken by the sound of distant shelling.”

For years, border residents lived in fear, but the last four years brought a rare stretch of calm. Locals began to dream beyond mere survival. Young people opened cafés, promoted camping sites on social media, and invited tourists to experience life along the border. In Tangdar and Poonch, tour operators had even started including these areas in their itineraries.

“The government had launched promotional campaigns to develop these regions into tourism hubs, but now, everything lies in ruins,” locals said, adding that they now live in constant fear of further escalation.

They further said that authorities had instructed them to keep their lights off at night, leaving them no choice but to comply. “The lights are off now,” they added.

Majeed Khan, another resident of Karnah, said people across the area are living in fear. While many have fled the village, others have chosen to stay. “We feel completely suffocated, unsure of what will happen next,” he said.

“Are we destined to witness destruction, disaster, and hellish situations forever? We beg both nations to leave us in God’s mercy. We have already suffered so much—how long will we be victims of this gun culture?” said a group of youngsters.

They expressed that their elders grew up amid this conflict, and now they long for the beautiful morning of a new beginning filled with peace, prosperity, and development. “Alhamdulillah, things were going well, but how long will these enemies of peace make us suffer? How long will they try to snatch our peace? What’s our fault? Why must we bear the brunt of these wars? Why? Why?” they added.

They appealed to both nations to maintain peace and to avoid focusing on war, which only brings destruction and makes people victims.

Similar efforts are underway in the Gurez sector, where authorities are assisting families in moving to Bandipora amid the escalating tensions reports said.

Fifteen civilians have been killed, and 59 others injured, as Pakistani troops engaged in cross-border shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) for 14 consecutive days. The attacks escalated to heavy artillery fire and mortar shelling on forward villages in Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, and Akhnoor, officials reported.

An Indian Army soldier was also killed in the firing on Thursday.

In Poonch, 13 civilians lost their lives, and 44 others were wounded in ceasefire violations by Pakistan, the External Affairs Ministry confirmed.

United Nations officials stationed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district have been relocated to safer areas due to intense shelling. The personnel, part of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), were moved as a precautionary measure.

India Strikes Back

The Indian Army retaliated with proportionate force, targeting Pakistani positions responsible for the provocation.

On Thursday, Indian armed forces struck Pakistan’s air defense infrastructure, destroying Chinese-origin HQ-9 missile systems in Lahore, sources revealed. The operation came in response to Islamabad’s failed attempt to hit Indian military targets. With their radar systems neutralized, Pakistan’s air defense in the Lahore sector has been severely compromised.

An official statement read: “This morning, the Indian Armed Forces targeted air defense radars and systems at multiple locations in Pakistan. India’s response has been in the same domain and with the same intensity as Pakistan’s actions. It has been reliably confirmed that an air defense system in Lahore has been neutralized.”

The latest hostilities follow India’s high-precision military offensive, Operation Sindoor, which struck nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) early Wednesday. The operation targeted infrastructure linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.

In retaliation, Pakistan shelled civilian areas in the Karnah sector of Kupwara late Wednesday night. Mortar shells and artillery rounds landed near residential zones shortly after midnight, forcing residents to flee. Most civilians in Karnah had already relocated following earlier shelling. One soldier, Dinesh Kumar of the 5 Fd Regt, was killed in the attack.

Earlier, on Tuesday night, Pakistan’s indiscriminate shelling along the LoC and International Border killed 15 Indian civilians and injured at least 43 in the Poonch and Tangdhar regions. Poonch district bore the brunt of the attacks, accounting for all civilian deaths.

Defense sources confirmed that the Indian Army’s swift retaliation in the Kupwara and Rajouri-Poonch sectors inflicted “significant damage” on Pakistani military installations, with reports indicating heavy enemy casualties.

Meanwhile, Amid heightened Indo-Pak tensions, the Jammu Traders’ Federation appealed for calm, assuring the public that essential supplies remain available.

The federation has reactivated “war rooms” to distribute free rations and medicines to border residents affected by the hostilities.

The reassurance came as authorities evacuated hundreds from villages along the LoC and International Border following intense Pakistani shelling.

“People are panic-buying due to fear, but there is no need to worry. We have enough rations to last three months,” President Jammu Traders’ Federation, in a statement said.

He emphasized the traders’ solidarity with the nation, noting that prices of essentials like oil, flour, and rice have been reduced to ease public burden.

Two war rooms—one for rations and another for medicines—have been set up to aid border residents. “These will provide free supplies to those in need, just as we did during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Gupta said.

Ration stocks have already been dispatched across Jammu, and Gupta reiterated: “We are fully prepared to handle this situation.”

Meanwhile, The closure of Srinagar International Airport, coupled with the shutdown of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway due to landslides, has severely disrupted travel.

The heightened security situation has impacted other airports in northern and western India, with at least 25 airports temporarily closed. Major airports like Pathankot and Chandigarh, as well as smaller ones in Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and Gujarat, have been affected.

Since the IAF’s precision strikes in PoK on May 7 as part of Operation Sindoor, over 300 flights have been canceled. Airlines such as IndiGo and SpiceJet have suspended operations to and from Srinagar, Amritsar, Leh, and Jammu.

Heavy rains triggered landslides, blocking the Jammu-Srinagar Highway—the only road link connecting Kashmir to the rest of India. Multiple stretches in Ramban district, including Trishul Morh and Seri Chamba, were affected. Officials reported that restoration efforts were underway but hampered by ongoing rainfall.

In light of escalating tensions, authorities ordered the closure schools, colleges and universities across Jammu and Kashmir on Friday and Saturday.

Minister of Education, Sakina Itoo in a post on X said said that keeping in view the safety of students, all the private and government schools, colleges and universities shall remain closed on Friday and Saturday.

Registrar of KU also said that they have decided to suspend the classwork for Friday.

"If there are any other changes, we will notify the students accordingly," he said.

Meanwhile, several areas of Jammu, Punjab and Rajasthan are in blackout. The government is constantly monitoring the situation and has destroyed several drones that were sent by the Pakistan armed forces.

In the meantime, the External Affairs Minister of India, Dr S Jaishankar, has confirmed that he spoke to US Secretary Marco Rubio, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas, and DPM and FM of Italy, Antonio Tajani.

“Spoke with US @SecRubio this evening. Deeply appreciate US commitment to work with India in the fight against terrorism. Underlined India’s targeted and measured response to cross-border terrorism. Will firmly counter any attempts at escalation,” Jaishankar tweeted. (Courtesy: Webstory/The Varmul Post)