Tensions between the two nuclear armed neighbours are at a boil. Tens of thousands of Kashmiri villagers along the LoC are in distress once again.
They fear the worst this time as India and Pakistan are on the brink of war again The latest clashes have shattered years of calm.
Our reporters traveled to Uri and Poonch the two areas which have been battlefields in all the three wars two countries fought since their independence.
The latest shelling has forced 100’s of families to abandon their homes so far. They have become homeless in their own homes. School buildings in these parts are also deserted with children staying home. Villagers along the LoC say they do not have emergency bunkers for shelter.
Residents have been urging Govt to shift them to a safer places. Shrapnel holes in tin-roofed houses are grim reminders of the ferocity of the barrages. When the firing starts, the first impact is fear, say residents. When the shells land the ground starts shaking.
Villagers have been the victims of the hostilities between India and Pakistan for three decades. Hundreds of people were killed on both sides of the divide before the 2003 truce as India and Pakistan’s armies engaged in daily lethal artillery duels and small arms clashes.
In 2003, India and Pakistan signed a ceasefire agreement, but the agreement has been hardly followed. Casualties have mounted over the years on both sides. Uri resident Musadiq Hussain sums it up: Every time these two estranged siblings fight Kashmir bears the brunt.