Shattered lives, fragile peace in shell-shocked Poonch town

The world may have moved on since the India-Pakistan conflict a fortnight ago, but for families who lost their loved ones in the cross-border shelling in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, time stands still, hanging heavy with grief.

- Ravi Krishnan Khajuria

JAMMU:

Poonch sector witnessed heightened artillery shelling after India carried out precise strikes under Operation Sindoor on nine terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack. As many as 28 people were killed in Jammu and Kashmir between May 7 and 10, of which 16, including four children, died in Poonch district alone.

"Peace is fragile here. Fear is constantly lurking. It will take more time for us to return to the life we led before the conflict. Those who lost their loved ones in the cross-border shelling are still in a state of shock," says Manmohan Singh, 60, a local resident who has retired as head of the department from the District Institute of Education and Training. His cousin, Amrik Singh, an ex-serviceman, was killed in the shelling on May 7.

Victims yet to resume school