(This is a two part news article and Part-I can be read here)
Uninhabitable Homes and Devastated Properties
A charred motorcycle with a melted engine rests in the street which is covered by black, blue, green, red, and transparent pieces of shattered window glasses. The smell of burnt rubber and gunpowder fills the air. Shutters of shops including a medicine and a footwear store are battered.
On the left side of the street near the Christ School in Poonch town, a grey coloured house, with its one half turned black by the smoke, has a crater shaped opening on its front.
Inside it bricks, stones, mud, and blocks of concrete accumulate on the stairs. Inside, the lemon-coloured walls have developed cracks.
Around 3-kilometres from here, a devastated kitchen is a reminiscence of the destruction brought by the four-day bloody conflict between India and Pakistan from May 7 to May 10, 2025.
Blocks of concrete and debris spread over the counter. A bottle of oil wrapped in dust stands next to a damaged gas stove which now rests in a vertical position, almost clinging to a damaged wall.
The electric switchboards protrude from their positions. They hang by the steel nails. The shock is evident.
From food to utensils everything is scattered over the kitchen floor. Broken cupboards and drawers are a testimony to the impact of explosions.
A refrigerator stands slanting nearby. Its door is nowhere to be seen.
The family of this home has not yet returned. 'Kashmir Times' couldn’t reach them for their comment.
During the four-day armed conflict between India and Pakistan, over 60 homes and dozens of shops were damaged in Poonch town alone, NGO workers told 'Kashmir Times'. Across the district, there are many more damaged but the different estimates between more than hundred to several hundreds don’t tally.
While no official figures of the damages are available, the Jammu and Kashmir unit of BJP claims it is between 1500-2000 across Jammu and Kashmir.
About 90 percent of the population in Poonch town had fled their homes during the conflict, except for those who mourned their kin’s death and emergency workers, activists, and officials.
“A man sells everything in his village and comes to the city for a better future for his children. Do we have to build homes all our life?” asked Dr Sarfaraz.
Many families have started returning to their homes, taking shelter in whatever is left of their properties.
But families like Surjan Singh, whose homes are inhabitable, are still in temporary shelters.
Along with his family of five including him, 65-year-old Surjan Singh is taking shelter in a Gurdwara near District Hospital Poonch.
The 6-inch slab of Singh’s single-story home has a big opening; the force of the shell depressed the rest of the slab as well. There are shrapnels all over the walls.
“My house is completely devastated. It will cost me about Rs 20 lacs to repair it,” said Singh.
After the ceasefire was announced on May 10, the family tried to take shelter in their broken home. However, it rained that night and deluge came straight down on the Singh's family.
“The house is inhabitable, and the downpour further made it impossible to live in,” said Singh, who was rendered jobless by an accident in 2008. A private contractor then, Singh is now a known social activist in Poonch town.
Livestock Casualties and Trauma
About 140-kilometres to the south of Poonch in Nowshera sector, Paramjit Singh, a farmer by profession, mourns the loss of his livestock.
As the shells exploded outside his home, the shrapnels pierced through the concrete wall and the iron window of his cowshed.
"Six of his cows were injured, one died," said the farmer.
His two cows, one white and the other brown have a hole on the side of their belly.
“The animals are traumatized; they only come out of their shed and sit. They don’t eat or drink. I fear they might die of starvation,” said Singh.
Many homes, shops, and other structures suffered extensive damage in the Pakistani shelling. Among the worst hit areas in Poonch town include: Mohalla Sukha Khata, Police Line Mohalla, Kamsar, Main Market, Shankar Nagar, Mohalla Dungas, and Mohalla Syndicate (Jamia Masjid Chowk).
On the outskirts of the Poonch town: Shahpur, Hari Karmada, Jhulas, Baila, Gali Pindi, Loheyl Beyla, Sawjiyan Maidan Gagriyan (On the foothills of the border) and Mankote-Balakote in Mendhar, were also extensively hit by the shelling.
"The critical junction of Bhimber Gali to the south of Poonch was also impacted," said a local journalist.
Caught off-guard, fear still overwhelms the residents
After the attack in April 22, 2025, which killed 26 people, mostly Indian tourists, in Kashmir’s scenic Pahalgam, tensions between India and Pakistan had been simmering as the former blamed the latter for the attack.
India started by taking diplomatic actions including the keeping in abeyance the Indus Waters Treaty. Pakistan responded in Kind.
On May 7, 2025, India ordered state and Union Territory governments to conduct mock drills as a measure of war preparedness. 19 cities from J&K were on the list.
On May 6, Do’s and Don’ts during the mock drill were shared by the Directorate of Civil Defence.
The residents were called by the army some days before this happened and were told to “remain with each other and alert,” said Dr Sarfaraz.
"After this, religious leaders including Muslims, Sikhs, and Hindus called a joint meeting and decided that in case of some skirmishes, Masjids, Temples, and Gurdwaras would be opened to everyone to take shelter," said a local senior journalist from the district.
After the residents were told about mock drills, some of them went to stock supplies while many told them that they were exaggerating things and that “nothing will happen,” said the journalist.
“So initially, everyone in Poonch thought the explosions on the mid-night of May 6-7 were a part of the mock drill,” Dr Sarafaz said.
“I was in my room when I first heard the gunshots around 12.55 AM. I called a police source and asked him about it. As we talked, five explosions happened rapidly. Then, sounds of live ammunition and artillery fire started to come from almost everywhere,” the journalist said.
“It was the first time ever in our lives that we saw Poonch town getting targeted and that too on an unexpected level. People were caught off-guard, that is why I believe we suffered from massive civilian casualty,” he said.
"By the afternoon of May 7, there was almost no safe haven in Poonch town. It had become the worst hit place. It was nearly deserted," said Dr Sarfaraz.
65-year-old Surjan Singh was waiting for a cricket match to resume after rain had interrupted the play. The match then continued till 12 in the midnight. It was already May 7.
Around 12.30 AM, Singh heard small gunfire, “and then some 25-minutes later extensive artillery shelling started,” he told the 'Kashmir Times'.
"When the shelling started, people of Poonch had a hard time surviving the night. The fear can’t be explained in words," a local journalist said.
“The whole night, families crammed into one room, people were even afraid to use the toilet,” said Singh.
We Had Only Heard of Previous Wars
The three nights from May 7 to May 9 were extremely difficult. “Hearts were beating fast, windows were shaking with every explosion,” said Attinderpal Singh.
“We didn’t expect to see the next morning,” he told 'Kashmir Times' over phone.
Singh, who had only heard about the war from his elders, witnessed the destruction himself. “It will take us years to overcome this fear,” he said.
While the armed conflict between the two countries has been halted for now, the children of Poonch remain terrified.
Attinderpal Singh was clearing the rubble, and as he threw bricks down from his roof, the children rushed to the road, crying, “We are being bombed, shells are coming,” said Singh.
On May 19, the administration ordered reopening of schools. However, the attendance remains thin.
The Indian government and its army have maintained that the ‘Operation Sindoor’ has not been called off but only kept on pause. This has enhanced the fear among the residents of Poonch.
“People are scared. They are reluctant to send their children to school,” said a social activist, a journalist, and six families from Poonch.
“The sound of explosions is still echoing in our heads,” Poonch residents say.
“Poonch has suffered greatly, it will take us years to overcome this trauma,” they said.
Never Saw Something Like This
India and Pakistan have fought three full-fledged wars and many skirmishes which experts believe are related to the conflict over Kashmir. However, the intensity of the armed confrontation this time was different.
Surjan Singh has a frail memory of 1965 Indo-Pak war but remembers vividly when the two countries fought again in 1971. But the intensity of the four-day conflict in May this year remains distinctive due to its bloodiness, Singh said.
“I witnessed the war of 1971, Poonch had a smaller population then. Some shells were fired during that time on scattered locations. But this time’s shelling continued unabated,” Singh said.
For his son, Attinderpal, this was the first time he witnessed armed conflict between India and Pakistan with his homeland as their battleground.
“The explosions terrified us. They shook us, made us tremble,” recalled Attinderpal.
"For 22-year-old Mehdi, a journalism student from Poonch, the fear will stay in his heart for years to come," he told 'Kashmir Times' over the phone.
It was the first time the residents of Poonch town experienced such a thing. “Bus stands, main squares, neighbourhoods were being bombarded,” said a reporter from Poonch, who works for a Jammu-based English daily.
Resilience, Unity, and Heroics
Surjan Singh lives near the Poonch district hospital. He started to receive SOS calls from 3.30 AM that night.
Without any second thoughts, he rushed to the hospital and tended to the injured who were flowing in big numbers to the health facility, he said.
Singh, along with his 20 associates tended to injured people, sans religion and other identities.
“Sikhs, Muslims, and Hindus were together taking care of everybody coming to the hospital. In those desperate times, Poonch displayed its human values,” said Singh.
It was after some officials from the administration arrived at the hospital around 6.30 AM, Singh retired to his home to take some rest.
“I fell asleep within no time and was awakened by a loud bang and a shaking at 8.00 AM,” recalled Singh.
"An artillery shell had hit his single-story house, rendering it inhabitable even as injuring his ear," Singh said.
"As people brought the injured to the hospital, and others fled their homes, the young people, social workers, NGO members, gave their all to help their people," said Dr Sarfaraz, who is also the chairman of Sir Syed Education Mission (SSEM), an NGO working for the welfare of people in Poonch region.
Young volunteers including boys and girls shifted people to hospital and also transported elderly to safer locations on their own motorcycles, said Sarfaraz.
Former MLC of BJP from Poonch, Pradeep Sharma carried many injured to the hospital himself, including children from Madrassa Jamia Zia-ul-Uloom, who were injured after a part of a shell hit the newly constructed building of the school.
Specially-abled Mohammad Fareed Malik didn’t let his dwarfism stop him from helping his people.
“Malik looked after displaced families, organised them in the shelters and checked which group needed what and consequently informed the administration to provide for the affected people,” said Dr Sarfaraz.
“If we were to suffer what Malik does, we won’t even dare to walk in a war-like situation like those four days,” added Dr Sarfaraz.
"A local trader, Rajeev Tandon, opened one of his shops and asked the volunteers to take whatever they needed to help people, including ration and other items," said Dr Sarfaraz.
Many people fled the town to live with relatives and friends in the less affected areas. “So one family had to provide for several other families as well. Volunteers were taking ration to those homes,” said Dr Sarfaraz.
Hoteliers in the Mandi area opened their hotels for around 400 families, who were fleeing the Baila village in the east. “The food for these families was arranged by the administration,” said a journalist from Poonch.
As the news of dozens of deaths spread across the town, people from every religion visited the bereaved families.
“Moulana Syed Sahab who runs an Islamic seminary came to my home to offer condolences for my deceased nephew,” said Surjan Singh.
“No matter how much those wanting to divide try to sow seeds of discord, the brotherhood of Poonch will remain intact,” Singh asserted.
The Desperate Appeal
On May 10, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah announced Rs 10 lacs each for kin of those who died in the four-day conflict. On May 12, Abdullah went to Poonch, met a few families and some delegations there.
“We told him about our lost lives and devastated homes, he (CM) assured every kind of help,” said people who were part of the delegation.
But families of the deceased have till date received only Rs 6 lacs in cheque forms, four families, a journalist, and two social activists confirmed to 'Kashmir Times'.
After Abdullah, Leader of Opposition in J&K Assembly and BJP senior leader Sunil Sharma said the central government has agreed to provide a special package to rebuild between 1500 and 2000 houses damaged in the conflict.
But the residents are urging the government to think bigger and beyond monetary compensation.
“Yes compensation is evident, but as both countries seem in the mood for war, the government must give us robust healthcare, adequate hospitals, ventilators, ICUs, and most importantly, bunkers. Because if we had bunkers in the first place, we wouldn’t have to pick up so many dead bodies,” said a senior resident and a social activist from Poonch.
However, already into the 18th day since the ceasefire, the grass that was trampled when the two elephants fought, strives to recollect its battered fragments.
“If the government plans to do something similar in future, they must first notify the people here and take them to safe spots,” requested Japneet Kaur, a student.
“Government must help us in rebuilding without losing any more time. Do we have to live in the gurdwara forever,” asked Singh.
On May 20, the official X-handle of the directorate said that the DC had reviewed damage assessment and sanction relief cases.
Then on May 21, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha also visited the place and promised jobs and relief.
However, on the evening of May 27, Poonch’s Directorate of Information said that "the administration has initiated the process to disburse relief under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme to border shelling affected the population. It didn’t delve into further details."
'Kashmir Times' reached out to the Deputy Commissioner Poonch Vikas Kundal with questions many times, but didn’t receive any response till the report was filed. The report will be updated whenever his comments are available.
However, there is little action on the ground, as the affected families wait in desperation; they gather their scattered pieces of life along the fragile border in the contested valley.
On May 30, India’s Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Poonch and promised “relief in coming days.” Shah also said, "he will distribute job orders to families who lost their kin."
'Kashmir Times' couldn’t independently verify how many families were handed over the job orders.
“Poonch has suffered immensely,” says sexagenarian Surjan Singh.
"If the government plans to act similarly in the future, they must at least take the women and children of this place to a safe zone," said Mohammad Wasif, a father of two kids and a resident of Poonch.
Bracing Up for More War
After the educational institutions were ordered to reopen, a five-day workshop was initiated on May 21 to provide basic training during war emergencies.
About 300 students from National Service Scheme (NSS) and National Cadet Corps (NCC) from different colleges of Poonch were trained in the workshop.
“Students are trained on what to do during shelling, how to give CPR, where to run, how to shift injured and dead,” said chairman Sir Syed Education Mission (SSEM), an NGO which collaborated with the State Disaster Response Front (SDRF) to organize the training.
“There is uncertainty around, we have to be prepared,” members of the workshop told 'Kashmir Times'.
A ‘Second Mock Drill’ in four states bordering Pakistan- Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Gujarat, and Rajasthan, was conducted on May 31 for fifteen minutes following an official communique from the Directorate General Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards.
“We are yet to gather what we lost from earlier confrontation, and now this order has amplified fears among the people here,” Poonch residents said.
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