Sajid Raina
Srinagar, May 15: After the guns fell silent along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, the government has begun assessing damages in border areas to initiate rebuilding efforts, with locals expressing full support to security forces.
“No matter how hard it gets or how close death comes, we will never stop supporting the security forces on the first line of defence,” said Suliman Ahmad Khan, a 60-year-old man from Poonch.
The residents along the LoC in areas including Poonch, Rajouri, Karnah, Uri and Gurez said that Pakistan has resorted to shelling civilian areas, causing massive damage to livestock, property, and innocent lives. They said it will not break their morale as they continue to live on the first line of defence alongside security forces, no matter how difficult it gets.
“Whether we live or die, we will never leave this land, no matter how difficult it gets due to shelling,” Khan said. “We are people of the border, so we have to stay here and face the challenges. All we need is the government’s support, nothing else.”
Khan added, “I was in my house when there was massive shelling last Friday. I was staying here with my belongings, including livestock. I thought, ‘If I die here, I will die here; if I stay, I will live here.”
He said locals even buried those who lost their lives in the shelling, all while the shelling was still ongoing.
Amarinder Singh, another local from the area, said they stayed in Poonch town during the difficult times of massive shelling, helping anyone in need of medicine or other essentials. “We were connected with around 40 people via social media, and that’s how we worked together. Not only did we look after our own homes, but we also took care of the homes of others who were injured in the shelling,” he said.
Similarly, another group of locals said they endured the heavy shelling, with their homes shaking during the blasts, but they never left their settlements. “Why would we leave? We live here, our lives are rooted here. Whether we live or die, we are not going anywhere,” said Jafar Khan, a shopkeeper from Karnah.
Mahjabeen, a 45-year-old woman, said her house was partially damaged during the shelling, but they didn’t leave. “We consider it our duty to stay here with our Army and police, that’s why we haven’t left,” she said.
“We had livestock, children, and elderly people who were bedridden, so how could we escape? We felt it was better to stay,” she added.
In Uri, a similar kind of courage was seen among the locals, with people saying that even those who are afraid may die, and those who aren’t may survive. “We are here to stay. What we need are more bunkers, and we’re thankful to the government for visiting us,” said Abdul Jabar, a resident.
Meanwhile, the government is conducting large-scale damage assessments in the affected areas and has initiated rebuilding efforts.
