Uri residents start returning home as LoC tensions ease

Residents of villages close to the Line of Control (LoC) who were forced to flee due to intense shelling by the Pakistani military have begun returning home. The return commenced on Monday after bomb disposal squads cleared the residential areas of unexploded ordnance, officials confirmed.

“We are happy that a ceasefire has been reached between the two countries. We are also hopeful that Pakistan will not resort to such activities again,” said Arshad Ahmad, a resident of Kamalkote in Uri.

Some returning villagers expressed gratitude to the Army and security forces for their support during the crisis. “The Indian Army has come out with flying colours. It had to respond and it did that well. They (army personnel) are our heroes, they always help us. Even now, when we are going back to Uri, they checked the place thoroughly (for shells),” said Mehak Khursheed, a resident of Uri, near the LoC.

Uri MLA Sajjad Shafi urged residents of frontline villages to remain vigilant and avoid touching suspicious objects. “They should immediately report any suspicious objects to the authorities for proper disposal,” he advised.

Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir had earlier cautioned residents against returning hastily, as some residential areas remained unsafe due to unexploded shells. Over 1.25 lakh residents from villages near the LoC in Baramulla, Bandipora and Kupwara districts had been evacuated as their homes faced extreme risk from cross-border shelling.

“Do not return to frontline villages. Lives are at risk as unexplored munitions remain (scattered) after Pakistani shelling,” police warned in an advisory issued on Sunday.

They further noted, “As many as 41 lives were lost in explosions of leftover shells near the LoC in 2023 alone,” underscoring the grave risks. Poonch district alone accounted for 18 of the 25 fatalities since Wednesday and reported injuries to 50 others.

The Pakistani shelling followed India’s Operation Sindoor, which targeted nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in retaliation for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.

India and Pakistan had reached an understanding on Saturday to halt all military action across land, air and sea after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes. However, hours later, New Delhi accused Islamabad of breaching the agreement.

J & K