As tensions between India and Pakistan grow, the people living in border villages in Jammu and Kashmir are facing the worst of it.
In the Uri district, several shops and homes were damaged after shelling from across the Line of Control (LoC). Locals say they are living in fear, and many have lost their livelihoods.
“Those who have means or places would go there. But we are poor. Where would we go? The shelling must stop,” said one local resident.
Sajjad Ahmed, a shopkeeper in Uri, lost everything when his shop was hit.
“After we closed our shop last night, shelling started. This morning I saw that my shop is completely damaged. This is very painful. This is like the target killing of civilians. We are facing injustice,” he told ANI.
“I have lost nearly 8 to 10 lakh rupees. There’s nothing left here. I had come to see what I could save, but there is nothing left,” Sajjad said, standing in front of the wreckage.
The situation comes after India carried out Operation Sindoor, “targeting nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.” This was in response to the deadly attack in Pahalgam on April 22, which killed 26 people, including a Nepali tourist.
On Thursday night, sirens and loud explosions were heard near the LoC in Poonch and Rajouri districts. The entire Jammu region went into blackout mode to avoid being targeted.
The Border Security Force (BSF) said it stopped a major infiltration attempt on May 8 near the Samba district. “At around 2300 hours on 8 May 2025, BSF foiled a major infiltration bid at the International Boundary,” BSF Jammu posted on X.
Meanwhile, two Pakistani drones were shot down by the Indian Army in the Naushera sector. These drones were spotted during a heavy exchange of artillery fire between both sides.
Indian officials said that the strikes during “Operation Sindoor were aimed at terrorist infrastructure linked to groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.”
