Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday visited areas affected due to recent shelling by Pakistan in Uri’s Salamabad area in Baramulla district. He held conversations with the locals in the affected area.
Abdullah acknowledged the loss and pain suffered by locals residing in these border villages and said that the pain of people in the affected areas was “deeply personal”.
“Heading to Uri today to meet those affected by the recent shelling. Over the past few days, I’ve witnessed immense pain, loss, and the unimaginable courage of our people. These visits should have been to share joy, to speak of development, not to offer condolences. The pain of my people is deeply personal,” Abdullah posted on X.
The border districts of Jammu and Kashmir witnessed intense shelling by Pakistan recently, leading to damage to their residential structures, after India launched Operation Sindoor in response to the terror attack in Pahalgam.
The locals residing in the border villages have demanded that the government compensate them for the damaged houses. They also urge the Indian government “not to spare Pakistan” for its misadventures.
Vijay Kumar, a local from a village in Nowshera, said that his entire life savings were spent on building the house, which has been damaged due to shelling by Pakistan.
“I am retired from the army, and we are three brothers who built our houses together. The shelling happened in 2002, 2004, and 2005. However, we never left our house because of it. This is the first time we have had to flee. Otherwise, we would have all died,” Kumar told ANI.
He said that the government must compensate those who have suffered damages to their houses in the village, inflicted due to shelling by Pakistan.
“The entire savings of our lives went into constructing the house, which has gone to waste. However, I am glad that our lives are saved. There is no point announcing a ‘ceasefire’ since Pakistan will not learn. It will target people here. In our village, six to seven houses have been destroyed. They should be compensated,” Kumar added.
The Indian Army’s Bomb Disposal Squad has been actively engaged in defusing unexploded shells in the residential areas near the Line of Control (LoC) villages in the Noushera sector of Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, ensuring the safety of local residents in the region.
According to the Army, the operation is crucial for ensuring the safety of the local residents living in close proximity to the International Border (IB), who were under fire from Pakistan’s intense shelling prior to the understanding of the cessation of hostilities on May 10.
The video footage shows army personnel carefully handling and defusing the hazardous ordnance while some of them are being exploded from long distances and taking precautionary measures.
The shelling affected major districts in Jammu and Kashmir along the Line of Control, resulting in significant damage to homes and infrastructure as well as the loss of civilian lives.
Earlier on Tuesday, JK Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo said that the administration has been working to compensate those affected by Pakistani shelling, with more bunkers being built in the border areas.
“Many people have been injured and houses have been damaged due to shelling from across the Line of Control. The administration is working to compensate those affected by Pakistani shelling… We will build more bunkers in the border areas,” he said. (ANI)
