Those who left homes amid Pakistani shelling should try to return: J&K CM Omar Abdullah
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said that residents of areas along the Line of Control, who fled their homes amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, should try to return to their houses as the conflict had halted, PTI reported.
Several persons living in districts along the Line of Control in the Union Territory had fled to safer areas amid Pakistani shelling. This came after tensions escalated on May 7 when the Indian military carried out strikes – codenamed Operation Sindoor – on what it claimed were terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The Pakistani military retaliated to the Indian strikes by repeatedly shelling Indian villages along the Line of Control.
On Saturday, India and Pakistan reached an agreement to stop the firing.
In light of the agreement, Abdullah on Monday said that residents living along the areas “should now try to return to their homes”, PTI reported.
“Eighty to 90% of Poonch town is vacant,” the chief minister said. “They had left their homes when shelling was taking place. Now that the shelling has stopped, they can return to their homes.”
The National Conference leader also said that the atmosphere in Jammu and Kashmir was “war-like” over the past five days. “Among all the areas that faced the brunt of the cross-border shelling, Poonch was the worst...
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