NEW DELHI: Along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) in the Jammu region, the guns may have fallen silent for nearly a week, but for the villagers living in its shadow, peace remains fragile and fraught with fear. The scorched earth, splintered homes, and unexploded mortar shells serve as stark reminders that the threat has not passed—only paused.
Despite the ceasefire understanding between India and Pakistan on May 10, residents describe their villages not as safe havens, but as “death traps,” littered with remnants of the cross-border hostilities .
The Indian Army on Sunday clarified that the understanding between the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two nations to cease hostilities has “no expiry date,” dispelling speculation that the agreement was set to lapse Sunday evening. The two sides had initially agreed on a two-day cessation of hostilities during a hotline conversation on May 10, but reaffirmed their commitment to maintain the peace during follow-up talks on May 12.
'Death trap'
The guns may have fallen silent, but the roses lie fresh on the graves of 27 civilians who were killed in Pakistan's retaliatory shelling post Operation Sindoor. Lives lost, livelihood gone, homes shattered.
"Two shells exploded in our compound, damaging our house. Three more landed on our farmland. We were terrified and told our family to stay away from the fields until the Army could help," 62-year-old Balvinder Singh, who returned to his home on May 14 told PTI.
Indian Army engineers have undertaken an extensive clearance drive across border districts, successfully neutralizing more than 80 unexploded shells over the past five days. The operation covered high-risk areas, including the defusal of 6 shells in Pargwal, 19 in Rajouri, 42 in Poonch, and 12 along the International Border, ensuring greater safety for civilians returning to conflict-affected zones.
"Several shells created deep craters in our paddy land. We cannot resume work until all unexploded ordnance is cleared. It's a death trap," said Farid Din Gujjar, a resident near the border.
'No one comes'
Once bustling with the energy of cheering visitors and the rhythmic thud of marching boots, Suchetgarh—a quaint border village on the outskirts of Jammu—is now eerily quiet. Popular for its Wagah-Attari-style flag-lowering ceremony by BSF personnel, the village’s transformation into a tourism hotspot has hit a painful pause following recent military hostilities between India and Pakistan.
"Now, the carriages stand idle. No one comes to see the zero line anymore. We are praying that tourists start returning so our livelihood can be restored," Teja Singh, who provides horse carriage rides near the zero line, told PTI.
"Earlier, our restaurant used to be packed… Especially on weekends, during the BSF's beating retreat ceremony, our sales touched Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000. Now, we are hardly earning Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 as people have stopped coming after the Pakistani shelling ," restaurant owner Sunil Kumar told PTI.
A tourism department official said they are closely tracking the situation along the borders and remain hopeful that border tourism will see a revival in the coming weeks. "The situation along the borders has been peaceful over the past week owing to the ceasefire. We are taking necessary steps, including restarting the BSF parade, to attract tourists once there is permanent peace on the borders," he said.
Despite the ceasefire understanding between India and Pakistan on May 10, residents describe their villages not as safe havens, but as “death traps,” littered with remnants of the cross-border hostilities .
The Indian Army on Sunday clarified that the understanding between the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two nations to cease hostilities has “no expiry date,” dispelling speculation that the agreement was set to lapse Sunday evening. The two sides had initially agreed on a two-day cessation of hostilities during a hotline conversation on May 10, but reaffirmed their commitment to maintain the peace during follow-up talks on May 12.
'Death trap'
The guns may have fallen silent, but the roses lie fresh on the graves of 27 civilians who were killed in Pakistan's retaliatory shelling post Operation Sindoor. Lives lost, livelihood gone, homes shattered.
"Two shells exploded in our compound, damaging our house. Three more landed on our farmland. We were terrified and told our family to stay away from the fields until the Army could help," 62-year-old Balvinder Singh, who returned to his home on May 14 told PTI.
Indian Army engineers have undertaken an extensive clearance drive across border districts, successfully neutralizing more than 80 unexploded shells over the past five days. The operation covered high-risk areas, including the defusal of 6 shells in Pargwal, 19 in Rajouri, 42 in Poonch, and 12 along the International Border, ensuring greater safety for civilians returning to conflict-affected zones.
"Several shells created deep craters in our paddy land. We cannot resume work until all unexploded ordnance is cleared. It's a death trap," said Farid Din Gujjar, a resident near the border.
'No one comes'
Once bustling with the energy of cheering visitors and the rhythmic thud of marching boots, Suchetgarh—a quaint border village on the outskirts of Jammu—is now eerily quiet. Popular for its Wagah-Attari-style flag-lowering ceremony by BSF personnel, the village’s transformation into a tourism hotspot has hit a painful pause following recent military hostilities between India and Pakistan.
"Now, the carriages stand idle. No one comes to see the zero line anymore. We are praying that tourists start returning so our livelihood can be restored," Teja Singh, who provides horse carriage rides near the zero line, told PTI.
"Earlier, our restaurant used to be packed… Especially on weekends, during the BSF's beating retreat ceremony, our sales touched Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000. Now, we are hardly earning Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 as people have stopped coming after the Pakistani shelling ," restaurant owner Sunil Kumar told PTI.
A tourism department official said they are closely tracking the situation along the borders and remain hopeful that border tourism will see a revival in the coming weeks. "The situation along the borders has been peaceful over the past week owing to the ceasefire. We are taking necessary steps, including restarting the BSF parade, to attract tourists once there is permanent peace on the borders," he said.
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