Thousands of citizens who live next to LoC have lost their family members during the past escalations.
Life is once again on the knife's edge for those living in the remote villages near the India-Pakistan border - the Line of Control. The April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and the continuous unprovoked firing by Pakistan across the LoC (now for the 11th consecutive day) have taken the residents back to a tense environment filled with anxiety, fear, and uncertainty.
Thousands of citizens who live next to the LoC have lost their family members during the past escalations.
As the tensions between India and Pakistan are escalating again, many residents have built 'bunkers' as a stark reminder of the volatility that once defined daily life in those areas. These bunkers are where residents can hide for protection during heavy gunfire.
In one of the remote villages located in the Uri sector, just less than 2 kilometres away from the LoC, a family has built a tiny bunker - just enough to hold about 15 people. According to the family, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, they are trying to speed up the finishing of the bunker amid the rising tensions.
One of the villagers, Shamim Ahmed Mir, told NDTV's Shiv Aroor, "When there was no ceasefire, we saw shelling here. The village has been impacted, some people were injured. The maximum time a family can stay in this bunker is one night. If it rains, we cannot even sit here for one minute because water seeps in through the ground. There is no bathroom here, no kitchen, no food, and we cannot get any food here because it gets spoiled."
Mr Mir also expressed disappointment with the administration as he claimed they did not provide any better protection despite destruction in the past due to Pakistan's shelling.
While small arms fire and medium machine guns cannot travel 2 kilometres into the village, in case of an escalation to heavier weapons like artillery, then it completely falls into range.
The central government has built two more bunkers to hold a larger community in the village (a little more than 20 to 30 people).
The living situation in the government-built bunkers would be the same, however, it has a water supply inside - making it slightly better equipped to withstand shelling or firing.
According to a social activist from Uri, Mehak Khurshid, the Pahalgam attack has been an extremely sad state of affairs.
"Something devastating has happened in our homeland. People who came for a vacation, to see Kashmir, they were not able to go back home. It is very disappointing for us. Kashmir was just changing, the tourism was increasing. There is so much talent in our Kashmir, which is coming to the fore. After the Uri attack, this attack has shocked us entirely," Ms Khurshid told NDTV.
She added, "Uri was developing. The indian army had opened a lot of gates of opportunities for Uri. But this attack has hit the system at its roots. Our jawans are protecting us, and I want to assure people that we are safe. Uri is a very peaceful place, and the army is working to keep the people here safe. Uri is known for its beauty, humanity. the indian army ensures to protect and guard the people here. We are all united here. The army is like a family to us."
Twenty-six people, including one Nepali national, were killed and many others were injured as multiple terrorists descended on Baisaran Valley, known as "Mini Switzerland" - a tourist hotspot with rolling hills and verdant orchards - and opened fire. Security forces have launched search operations to track down the terrorists involved in the attack.
Tensions escalated when India took strict action against Pakistan by suspending the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty indefinitely and sending all Pakistani nationals back.
The attack has been one of the biggest terror attacks after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
