With homes left in ruins, those who have lost their homes and families ask, “Why must we always pay the price of war?”
As India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire after days of devastation, where homes were shattered and lives were destroyed, the people of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly those living in border villages, remain trapped in the lingering trauma of bombings, missile strikes, and relentless artillery shelling.
Ghulam Din, a local from one of the affected border villages, spoke to the Independent Wire, “Our destruction lies before you, our devastation—the bombardment from Pakistan has robbed us of everything: our lifelong savings, our homes. Most of us are still in shock.”
In a weak voice that threatens to break, he continues, “Our homes and shops lie destroyed in the shelling. Once again, we poor people have become victims of this cross-border violence. Why are we always targeted? What is our fault? Don’t we have the right to live? Don’t we belong to this nation, India? Why must we endure such trauma? How can we forget that night—the night that took everything from us?”
Ghuman Din, another resident, pleaded with both nations to stop, “We cannot bear to see this cross-border shelling again. We are already half-dead… Let us live, just let us live…” his words faded into helpless sobs. “It was a night we will never forget until our last breath—a night that stole everything: our happiness, our lifelong savings, our homes, our well-being, our future. The air was filled with screams and cries; at times, we forgot we were even alive. The bombardment, the missiles, the drone attacks, the artillery shelling—all raining down on us, poor and innocent civilians. The horror remains fresh in our minds.”
Nabihullah, sitting in the debris of his shelled home, whispered, “Our reason to live is gone. Everything is lost. At least it was night—had it been daytime, countless lives would have been lost.”Continuing, he says, “We are poor residents living near the Line of Control. The only means we had to survive were these small shops, now reduced to rubble. Was that our crime? Are we not human?
A heartbroken Nabibullah cried out, “Will these two nations ever spare us? Are we truly not allowed to live? What is our fault? Why must we suffer this war again and again? Have mercy on us—we cannot take it anymore!” Overcome, he collapsed onto the debris.
“What have these two nations gained from this destruction? We are the ones crushed in the middle. Our lives are over.”
The morning after that night of doom arrived with unbearable difficulty. Saja, whose children are still in government-provided shelters in Kupwara, sat in the corner of a shell-damaged house, her voice trembling: “Please, bring my children back to me. Why must we endure so much cruelty? How long must we witness this destruction? Why must our loved ones be torn away from us again and again? How long must we flee our villages for safety? What is our crime? What is our mistake? Please, stop this—for everyone’s sake. Don’t do this to us anymore… I beg both nations—let us live.”
A sigh of relief followed the ceasefire between the two nations; however, locals are still engulfed in fear and shock. “Can this situation not be repeated? However, we have nothing more to lose. Everything we once had has been destroyed and lost in the shelling. We don’t want our innocent children to suffer; they are still unaware that they live on the border. We do not want their future to be bombarded like this,” said Aashiq, who returned from a government-organised accommodation camp in Kupwara.
Aashiq expressed hope that peace will prevail and that we can live with our beloved ones. “We don’t want to be separated because of this war. Let us pray that it will all come to an end, and that there will be peace again, along with prosperity and development.”He remarked that it took a decade to reach a position where we began hosting tourists from different parts of our country. “ Now we have lost everything. Can the good days return?”
Since the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, in which 26 tourists were killed and several others were seriously injured, India and Pakistan have engaged in a series of tit-for-tat actions. India has blamed Pakistan for the attack, though Islamabad denies any involvement.
The two countries came close to war in 2019 following the deadly Pulwama bombing in South Kashmir, where a suicide bomber targeted a paramilitary convoy, killing 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. In retaliation, Indian fighter jets launched missiles that struck Balakot in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
However, last week, on May 7, India claimed that its armed forces conducted precision strikes using advanced weapon systems, including loitering munitions, on terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (Pok). The Indian military reportedly targeted selective terror bases in Pakistan and PoK under the codename ‘Operation Sindoor’, alleging that these camps were used to orchestrate terrorist attacks.
The situation remained tense, with both countries on the brink of war until Saturday, when in a surprise move, Trump announced that India and Pakistan had agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire. The development was unexpected, given that the two sides had exchanged heavy fire just hours before, with India bombing airbases and key military facilities in Pakistan.
