PARANPEELAN(URI): “The ceasefire announcement is a big relief for us who live in the border areas. We are Indians and peace-loving people. We never want war,” said Syed Mustafa of Paranpeelan village in Uri, close to the LoC, which was hit by Pakistani shells early on Saturday morning.
An artillery shell fired from across the border fell on his sister’s house, badly damaging the concrete structure. “Fortunately, no one was present in the house. We had evacuated all the family members yesterday evening as we apprehended another round of heavy shelling from Pakistan,” Mustafa said.
He said border residents are happy with the ceasefire. “We love peace. We want our country to prosper and progress. We hope that our neighbour also prosper. The war brings only destruction and no solution,” said Mustafa.
His sister said they had built the house with all their savings, and now it has been rendered unsafe. “We seek peace so that no one like us should lose the shelter and be left homeless overnight. Where will we take our children now? What will happen to their education,” she said in tears.
Wazir Hussain, another resident, said the border village witnessed heavy Pakistani shelling the last few days. “Such intense shelling was not witnessed even during the 1998 Kargil war. The civilian population was not targeted then. But shells are landing in civilian areas every now and then,” he said.
Uri, located close to the LoC, has been the worst-hit area in the Valley in shelling, which has left one woman killed and 14 others injured. Over 100 houses and structures were completely damaged in different villages over the last five days.
Wazir said the majority of residents of his village have fled to safer places following the relentless shelling by Pakistani troops.
“Now with the annnouncement of ceasefire, they will return to the village, bringing back its vibrancy,” he said. “War is never an option. Both countries should resolve issues once and for all through talks,” he said.
Javed Aziz, a 25-year-old resident of Lagama village, said he has never seen such intense shelling by the Pakistani troops in his lifetime. “My family elders say such shelling had taken place in 1971,” he said.
The Uri market wore a deserted look with closed shops and little movement. In the town with a population of over 10,000, most of the houses are now empty. “I’ve stayed back along with my wife, but our children have moved to their relative’s house,” Local resident Abdul Qayoom Ganai said.
Asked why he had not fled, Abdul said, “My aged mother is on oxygen concentrator. My wife and I have stayed back to take care of her,” he said.
He hoped that both the Indian and Pakistani military will respect the ceasefire and peace will return to the border villages.
A resident of main Uri, Maqsood Baig, said only a handful of people are left in the area as most of them have fled to safer zones.
“We too don’t live in our house at night. We spent the night on the ground floor of a mosque to escape Pakistani shells,” he said. Maqsood, a labourer, said he has been out of work since the latest escalation.
On Saturday some houses, a shop and a masjid suffered damage in Pakistani shelling in Bandi village, which is about 25-30 km from the LoC.
“There is fear all around. We are not war mongers and don’t want war. We always pray for peace even in distressing situations like the one which we are currently in,” added Baig.
OPEN WOUNDS
On September 18, 2016, an attack was carried out by four Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists against an Indian Army brigade headquarters near the town of Uri in Jammu and Kashmir. Nineteen soldiers were killed in the attack, and about 30 others were injured.
It was at the time the deadliest attack on security forces in Kashmir in two decades.