Fear and Uncertainty Grip Residents Near Line of Control Amid Cross-Border Shelling

By A Staff Reporter

CHAKOTHI, Pakistan-administered Kashmir — Fear and anxiety have taken hold of communities living along the Line of Control (LoC), the disputed and militarized border between Indian- and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, following renewed hostilities between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

The LoC has long been a flashpoint for armed conflict, but the situation has become increasingly volatile since Wednesday, as reports of cross-border firing and shelling continue to emerge.

Mukhtar Qureshi, a resident of a village in the Chakothi sector on the Pakistani side, described a grim reality faced by civilians trapped in the line of fire.

“The firing continues the whole night. I have more than 20 family members. I am trying to evacuate them,” Qureshi said, speaking of the chaos and fear engulfing his community.

He added, “Our area is not in livable condition. There has been heavy shelling. People along the Line of Control are in high tension.”

Residents say they are unable to sleep due to the sounds of artillery and gunfire, and many families have begun fleeing to safer locations. Emergency services are reportedly stretched thin, and access to basic supplies has become increasingly difficult in affected areas.