Sat to eat when sirens went off due to Pak shelling: J&K resident
The Uri region in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district witnessed a terrifying night on Thursday, when Pakistan’s shelling left one woman dead and several others injured. The incident has left the residents of the area shaken, with many recounting their harrowing experiences of the intense shelling.
One such resident is 38-year-old Babar, who lives in the Uri region. According to him, he and his family had just sat down to eat when the sirens suddenly went off, signaling the start of the shelling.
“We just sat down to eat when the siren rang out,” Babar said in an interview. “We left everything and ran to the neighbors’ bunker.”
Babar’s house has been destroyed twice in the past, once in 1999 due to shelling and again in 2005 due to an earthquake. The memory of those traumatic events still lingers in his mind, making him even more anxious during the latest shelling episode.
The Uri region has been a hotbed of violence for several years, with frequent ceasefire violations by Pakistan. The latest incident, however, seems to have been particularly intense, with multiple shells raining down on the area.
“I could hear the shells whizzing past my head, and I could feel the ground shaking beneath my feet,” Babar said, still shaken by the memory. “It was like the end of the world had come.”
Babar’s family, including his wife and three children, were all huddled together in the neighbors’ bunker when the shelling subsided. They spent the rest of the night there, too afraid to venture out and check on the damage to their home.
As the sun began to rise on Friday morning, Babar and his family emerged from the bunker to survey the damage. Their house, like many others in the area, had been partially destroyed, with debris scattered all over the street.
“I don’t know how we’ll rebuild our lives again,” Babar said, his voice heavy with emotion. “This is the third time our house has been destroyed, and I’m not sure how much more we can take.”
The Uri region is no stranger to violence, having been the site of a major attack by Pakistani militants in 2016. The attack, which was carried out by a group of heavily armed militants, resulted in the death of 19 Indian soldiers and was widely condemned by the international community.
In the years since, the Uri region has continued to be a flashpoint in the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan. The latest shelling incident is just the latest in a long series of ceasefire violations, and it’s likely to have significant implications for the region’s residents.
For Babar and his family, the latest shelling incident has brought back a flood of memories from the past. They’re still trying to come to terms with the trauma they experienced, and are struggling to rebuild their lives in the face of ongoing violence.
As the region continues to grapple with the aftermath of the shelling, it’s clear that the people of Uri are exhausted and demoralized. They’re tired of living in fear of the next attack, and are desperate for a lasting solution to the conflict.
“We just want to live in peace,” Babar said, his eyes welling up with tears. “We want to be able to go about our daily lives without fear of being killed or injured. Is that too much to ask?”
