Silence has fallen along the borders in Jammu and Kashmir following a truce between India and Pakistan.
The roar of artillery and the rat-a-tat of gunfire have gone quiet in several border villages of Jammu, including Poonch, Rajouri, RS Pura, and the Valley’s Uri sector.
On Saturday, India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire brokered by the US, following an intense escalation after India launched Operation Sindoor against Pakistan.
However, just hours after the announcement, Pakistan resumed heavy firing in the Akhnoor, Rajouri, and RS Pura sectors, raising concerns about the sustainability of the agreement.
The violation prompted Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to issue a statement, calling it a breach of the understanding.
“After the announcement of the truce, firing continued intermittently for a few hours, but calm prevailed throughout the night,” said Swarn Lal, former sarpanch of the Suchetgarh sector.
He said that after several days of unrest, they were finally able to sleep peacefully.
Residents of the Poonch and Rajouri sectors also said that peace and calm had returned along the borders.
Yousuf Jameel, a resident of Poonch, told businessline that there was calm in the area and he had not heard any shelling during the night.
“Now people have begun returning to their native villages,” Jameel said.
The area bore the brunt of cross-border shelling, with most of the casualties reported from here. At least 15 people have died and nearly 50 have been injured in the area over the past few years, forcing many to flee.
Similarly, no cross-border firing has been reported from the Rajouri area.
Javed Iqbal Choudhary, who represents the Budhal constituency of Rajouri told buinseeline that the firing continued until 10.30 pm and then the area remained calm.
Reports from Akhnoor and Sundarbani sectors also suggested a prevailing calm.
“After the initial ceasefire violation, the situation became calm,” said a resident of Sundarbani.
In the Valley’s Uri sector, residents said that the area remained calm since the truce was announced.
“There was no firing throughout night”, said Lal Din, a resident of Churanda village, a hamlet located near the LoC.
In Baramulla, police has advised the evacuated residents not to return to their native villages due to the threat of unexploded ordnance in their areas which saw heavy cross-border shelling over the past few days.
War no option
Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday stated that war is not an option and emphasised the need for utmost restraint before considering such measures.
She visited the relief camps in Baramulla that were set up for people evacuated from the border areas of Uri.