As the hostilities between India and Pakistan died down, Poonch residents moved back to their homes, only to find the damage left behind by shelling.
Sanjeev Sharma, who returned home after four days, found the house’s first floor had suffered severe damage. He recounted how his family fled to Surankote, a nearby town towards Rajouri, as shelling intensified.
“We left in a hurry, grabbing whatever we could. People were terrified. There were 12 of us crammed into a single car and the roads were jammed. The first floor of my house has been damaged, but fortunately, we had left before it happened,” he says.
He is not alone in the ordeal. Poonch was among the worst-hit areas in the Pakistan shelling over the past four days, accounting for nearly 20 fatalities, mostly civilians.
As the ceasefire was announced on Saturday, a sense of uneasy calm could be seen among the people. Though they were relieved by the end of hostilities, they were well aware of the how fragile the calm that holds the region together is.
Although Poonch has long been familiar with cross-border firing, residents say they have not seen such intense shelling in decades.
Dharam Pal Singh Jasrotia, whose house was damaged, says he never experienced such intensity in the 50 years he has lived. “During the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, a shell struck our house. Fortunately, we were in an underground bunker at the time and escaped unhurt. Just a night earlier, we were sleeping in the very room that was hit. It’s been 20 to 25 years since we last took shelter in the bunker,” he recalls.
{{/usCountry}}Dharam Pal Singh Jasrotia, whose house was damaged, says he never experienced such intensity in the 50 years he has lived. “During the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, a shell struck our house. Fortunately, we were in an underground bunker at the time and escaped unhurt. Just a night earlier, we were sleeping in the very room that was hit. It’s been 20 to 25 years since we last took shelter in the bunker,” he recalls.
{{/usCountry}}Varun Dutta, a local auto driver, notes that it was on Sunday that people began venturing out onto the streets again. “For the past few days, the streets were deserted and most of the population had fled. Earlier, we were used to hearing sounds of shelling, but this time, people saw shells landing on homes. It left a trail of destruction,” he says.
As then fear persisted, many who had returned started moving back out. A lot of houses in the narrow lanes of Poonch are still locked.
“There were only a few people left in our locality. On Wednesday, a few shells struck near our house. When the first hell struck, we went into bunker. While we were entering the bunker, two more shells struck near our house. It was terrifying for our family,” says Dilshad, a retired Central Reserved Police Force (CRPF) jawan.
As the doubts over the ceasefire holding persist, it is a tough road ahead for this once bustling town.