Only 10 km away from the Line of Control (LoC), Batpora has been witnessing continuous, heavy shelling over the last two days, forcing people to leave their homes, unsure when or whether they will be able to return.

several villages in Uri and Gurez now find that they cannot go back to their homes. The recent India-Pakistan ceasefire along the Line of Control has brought little comfort to displaced residents, who face the harsh reality of destroyed homes and the lingering threat of unexploded ordnance.

"We don't want to die every day," said Nasir Ali from Uri. "Either keep the ceasefire agreement or end it all."

Around 500 people had to take refuge at multiple centres, including two schools in Baramulla, after the Pakistan Army resorted to heavy shelling. Scores of children who missed school were excited to rejoin their school. “We study in a school in Uri tehsil. I have not seen my classmates for many days now. I am excited to go back to school once it reopens. I pray shelling doesn’t take place again,” Sadia Ji, a student of Class 8, said.  

The Poonch district in the Jammu region had borne the brunt of Pakistan shelling. An official said the district’s police and court complexes sustained damage in the shelling. Vikas Kundal, Deputy Commissioner of Poonch, visited several localities including Qazi Mohra, Dungus, Sarain, Jamia Zia Ul Uloom, Geeta Bhawan, Kamsar and Kama Khan. “All of these areas suffered damage due to shelling,” Mr. Kundal said. Out of the 18 civilian deaths in the Union Territory, 14 were from Poonch district.