‘Feel like I'm alive again': Pakistani shelling hit Poonch the hardest, ceasefire a chance for town to catch its breath

Indian Express

10-05-2025

For retired forest official Khalil Ahmad Bandey, 70, the ceasefire between India and Pakistan brings much-needed relief. The Poonch resident has two sons — one is an advocate practising in the High Court at Jammu, and the other is a bank employee posted in Subderbani.
And, earlier this week, as Pakistani shelling escalated in Poonch, Bandey sent his married daughter and her minor children to her matrimonial house in Rajouri. He said he understands better than most the trauma of elderly parents whose entire family is away in a time of crisis.
'You can't imagine; we people had vowed so many niyaz (an offering of food or other gifts to fulfil a vow) to have a ceasefire between the two countries,' he said. 'Today, I feel I am alive again.'
Narinder Singh, 63, who, too, sent his children and grandchildren to Jammu from Poonch, similarly hopes life returns to normal soon. The escalation between India and Pakistan let loose havoc in Poonch town, where 12 people died and more than 40 were injured.
Between Friday and Saturday, five civilians, including a senior Jammu Kashmir Administrative Services (JKAS) officer, were killed and nearly a dozen people injured as Pakistani troops targeted multiple locations in Jammu, Rajouri, Poonch, Samba and Udhampur districts at frequent intervals between Friday night and Saturday morning
The border town of Rajouri and its outskirts were the worst hit by the overnight assault from artillery shells, drones and loitering munitions. Here, the dead include Bihar resident Mohammad Shohib, 35, and his two-year-old daughter Aisha Noor, official sources said. They died when a shell fell near their place of stay in Industrial Estate, Rajouri.
At least six civilians were also injured in Rajouri, a town where the civilian population was not hit even during the wars of 1971 or 1999, recalled Vinod Kumar, a resident.
In Pakistan's line of fire, locals in large numbers, especially those living near defence installations, moved to safer places.
One of the families leaving their home told The Indian Express that all those living within 300 metres of defence installations have been unofficially asked to move.
People also sustained injuries while taking cover in a nullah when the sirens rang, and while having morning team inside their home
In Poonch district's Mendhar's area, 55-year-old Rashida Bi was killed in shelling, while Zakir Hussain lost his life at Kheri village on the outskirts of Jammu city. The latter, along with his family, was moving to a safer location when cross-border drones and loitering munitions targeted multiple places in and around Jammu city around 6 am. Two members of his family were injured.
While almost all of Pakistan's attacks were foiled by the Indian Defence Systems, a few cross-border projectiles hit some locations, particularly in Tehari and Roopnagar areas, partially damaging some residential houses and parked vehicles, officials said.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah visited both places and interacted with people there. In Rehari Colony, when he was taking stock of the situation, two projectiles flew overhead, prompting his security to take him away.
'Visited Rehari and Roopnagar in Jammu today to see the damage caused by recent shelling. The pain and disruption faced by the residents is deeply concerning. We stand with every affected family and will ensure all necessary support in provided without delay,' he said in a post on X.
Later, he left Jammu for Srinagar, where, too, Pakistan is attempted to target multiple locations.
Explosions were also heard in Udhampur town as well as Natha Top, situated near a tourist resort. Reports of Pakistani shells falling in hilly areas of Kathua district also came in, but there were no injuries or damage to property. In Doda, the district administration sounded the red alert and asked people to stay indoors after 11 am.
In the early hours of Saturday, the Border Security Force decimated a terrorist launch pad in Pakistan's Sialkot district opposite Akhnoor sector, even as Pakistan continued targeting the civilian population in Jammu province with artillery shelling and loitering munitions.
'On May 9, from about 2100 hrs, Pakistan initiated unprovoked firing on BSF posts in the Jammu Sector. BSF responded in a commensurate manner, causing widespread damage to the posts and assets of the Pakistan Rangers along the International Boundary,' an official statement here.
'The terrorist launchpad at Looni, district Sialkot, opposite Akhnoor area, was completely destroyed by the BSF,' it said, reiterating BSF's 'resolve to protect India's sovereignty is unshaken'.