The uneasy calm along Jammu and Kashmir’s border was shattered as intense cross-border shelling between India and Pakistan turned Poonch, Uri, and Karnah into active conflict zones. Families fled in panic, casualties surged, and political leaders issued urgent calls for restraint, reports Syed Shadab Ali Gillani
It was around 1 am when the stillness of the night in Poonch was violently disrupted. Zubair (name changed) and his family, asleep in their modest home, were startled awake by a series of deafening explosions. Cross-border shelling had erupted once again between India and Pakistan, transforming the quiet town into a zone of terror and chaos. As flashes illuminated the night sky and the ground trembled, a haunting question echoed through the village: “Has the war begun?”
Zubair and his family scrambled for shelter. While some managed to find refuge, others were less fortunate. “All of us were counting seconds, each moment laced with fear,” he said.
Most of Poonch, the capital of the erstwhile Poonch Estate, now lies in ruins. The terror of that night lingers, with young men, children, women, and the elderly gripped by fear. “This cross-border exchange has left residents both terrified and scarred for life,” said a local.
“That entire night, we stayed awake, confused and anxious. We had no idea what had happened or how much destruction it had caused,” Zubair said, his voice shaking.
A Morning of Mourning
When the first rays of sunlight pierced the darkness, the scale of the devastation became apparent. More than ten people had been killed. “One shell landed near a school, killing two siblings. They were twins. Their father is critically injured,” a villager said, the memory etched in his mind.
In Qasbah village, a Class 12 student was killed by a shell. “The firing stopped in intervals, only to resume again, each blast a fresh wave of terror,” said another resident.
The Siege
The shelling affected not just Poonch but also the Uri and Karnah belts in north Kashmir. While Poonch mourns at least 13 dead and over 48 injured, Uri reported one death and several injuries, while Karnah suffered significant property damage.
Ajaz Ahmad Jan, Poonch’s lawmaker, described the situation as unprecedented. “The shelling started at 7 PM and continued unabated until 7:30 the next morning. We have lost 15 lives—four of them children, including two siblings. More than 50 are injured, but I believe the actual number is closer to 70,” he said.
The destruction is widespread, particularly in Mandi and Loyal Baila, with families displaced from Qasbah and nearby areas. “It is heartbreaking to see towns like Poonch become ghost towns. More than 75 per cent of the population has fled. Only men have stayed behind to protect what little they can,” Jan said.
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Unfinished Bunkers
Jan’s voice carried both urgency and frustration. “Over 60 per cent of our bunkers are incomplete, some pending for over two years. I have raised this repeatedly in the Assembly,” he said.
“There is a scandal behind the delays. Had those bunkers been ready, the casualty figures would have been lower. People sought refuge wherever they could, but the lack of proper infrastructure cost us lives. Even areas once considered safe, far from the border, were not spared,” Jan added.
“We urgently need community bunkers not just in villages but in the heart of the city. The SSP office, DC residence, and even my own house are within direct firing range. This is not just a border issue anymore; it is an urban security crisis,” he said, appealing to the Home Minister for a special package for border areas.
Scorched Lives
Residents are being relocated to schools, storage buildings, and private homes. Communication networks remain down, ration supplies are delayed, and relief officials have been absent at some camps.
“I had to file a missing report for one official. We are doing our best, but the scale of destruction is unprecedented. I have never witnessed such relentless shelling—not in the 1990s, not even during the escalations in 2016-17,” Jan said.
For the people of Poonch, the ordeal is far from over. An evacuating family was struck by a shell while escaping to Jammu. Two people, including a child, were killed. In another instance, a house was hit, killing two children. Throughout the night, residents struggled to extinguish fires while dodging shells.
In Banpath, where several houses were damaged, the population has been moved to a local school. A seminary was also struck, killing a senior executive.“Unofficial reports put the death toll at 16, including two in a remote village where not many details have emerged,” Jan said.
Meanwhile, non-local labourers who had been working in Poonch have fled the area. “The people who had migrated to the town for work have returned to their villages, which they believe are comparatively safer,” Zubair said.
The shelling may have stopped, but the terror and uncertainty remain. For Poonch, the aftermath of that night is a haunting reminder of how swiftly life can be reduced to ashes.
People believed that areas like Bafliaz and Block Loran were relatively safer, given their distance from the border. However, Jan lamented that even these villages, once considered secure, witnessed casualties.
“The Sikh and Hindu residents have migrated to Jammu. Poonch city is empty and desolate now,” he said.
While Pakistani gunners had been shelling some border areas of Jammu and Kashmir for nearly two weeks, the intensity increased after Indian missiles struck nine sites under Operation Sindoor. Pakistan claimed that more than 30 civilians were killed in the attacks. In Delhi, during a morning briefing after the operation, top defence and foreign affairs officials stated that the strikes targeted non-military installations associated with groups banned in India. They also released footage of the hits.
The situation in Karnah (Tangdar), a remote town in north Kashmir, was similarly grim. Although the residents managed to survive the shelling, property damage was extensive. “It was four hours of uninterrupted shelling,” said Javaid Ahmad Mirchal, the MLA from Karnah. “We lost many homes and suffered damage to many more, including the local mosque.” He said that the main Tangdar market was extensively damaged, with several fires sparked by the shelling.
“Pakistan initiated the shelling, and then our army responded with full force,” Mirchal said. “Some Pakistani shells landed in Chowkibal, causing damage to houses, vehicles, and shops. People have been moved to Kupwara, with a makeshift shelter set up at the Higher Secondary School, where many are currently residing.”
Mirchal said that the administration was making efforts to manage the crisis. “I met the Chief Minister because we urgently needed a surgeon and a gynaecologist, and he was kind enough to pass the necessary orders,” he said. “The population requires free rations to manage the crisis.”
A Karnah resident described the ongoing tension: “The night when Pakistani shells struck, it continued throughout the night. The next day it stopped, but the following night it was the same story.”
He added that the shelling left more than sixty houses damaged. “The losses amount to crores. The district administration has also deployed vehicles to evacuate those living near the border, who remain most vulnerable.”
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The Fear Factor
Uri became the third major target of Pakistani gunners last night, as shelling began shortly after India’s missile strikes on Pakistan-controlled territory of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir.
A resident said that heavy shelling targeted several villages in Uri, injuring civilians who were rushed to the SDH Uri and GMC Baramulla. Among the injured was a woman named Nargis, who reportedly succumbed to her injuries.
“The shelling was intense,” another resident who visited the affected areas said. “Shells landed in Kamalkote, Salamabad, Kalgi, Lagama, Paranthina, and many fell in deserted spaces across the belt.” He added that at least two houses were destroyed, and several other properties were damaged. Four people, including women, sustained injuries and are receiving treatment at the local hospital.
While fear gripped the area, the resident said people were accustomed to such situations. “There were many years of peace, but we know how to manage,” he said. “We are not migrating.”
However, movement in and out of the town is now restricted, with people being barred from travelling beyond Baramulla, Sheeri, and Boniyar. “This has added another crisis for the residents,” he said.
After the ceasefire on November 3, 2003, life along the Line of Control (LoC) gradually returned to normalcy. The February 25, 2021, ceasefire agreement further stabilised the region, allowing border communities to resume everyday life, welcome tourists, and rebuild their livelihoods. Even during the Uri surgical strike and the Balakot airstrike in 2019, the ceasefire largely held.
Now, the Pahalgam massacre has reignited hostilities, bringing shelling back to border villages. The people remain hopeful that normalcy will return soon, as the ongoing shelling continues to devastate lives and property across the region.
Leaders Speak Out
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah condemned the Pakistani shelling on civilian areas, accusing Pakistan of deliberately escalating border tensions. Addressing a gathering in Samba, he praised Indian defence forces for swiftly neutralising drone threats targeting civilians and preventing an attack on an ammunition depot in Anantnag.
Omar Abdullah emphasised that India had not initiated the conflict but responded after civilian deaths in Pahalgam. “Pakistan must de-escalate instead of provoking further violence,” he said. He also highlighted the significant casualties and property damage in Poonch, confirming that medical aid and relief were being provided to the injured. During a visit to hospitals in Jammu, he reassured those affected of continued support.
Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti broke down during a press conference in Srinagar, urging both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint. Citing the rising civilian toll, including children, she called for dialogue rather than military action. “Why are innocents being killed?” she asked, her voice trembling. Recalling the Pulwama attack and the recent Pahalgam violence, she said, “It is the people of Kashmir who suffer the most.” Ending with an emotional appeal, she implored, “Live and let live—war solves nothing.”
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also appealed for calm, urging India and Pakistan to de-escalate tensions. In a post on X, he expressed deep sorrow over the mounting civilian casualties on both sides of the Line of Control, warning that rising hostilities only deepen the suffering of Kashmiris, whose lives and livelihoods remain at constant risk. “This dangerous path leads only to destruction,” he said.
