It took Manzoor Khan (50) nearly two decades to build a new house after his previous one was destroyed in the devastating 2005 earthquake.

With backbreaking effort, he constructed a modest three-room house in Kupwara’s Dolipora sector, along the Line of Control (LoC), for his wife and two sons, Zahoor (25) and Saqib (22). But on 7 May, a mortar shell from across the border reduced his home to rubble, also killed two of his cows, erasing years of hard-earned stability. “I was young during the earthquake, with the strength to start over,” Khan told National Herald. “Now, I’m too old, and my sons are labourers like me. We’re devastated.”

“We were fast asleep when the shells hit our home. We raised an alarm and ran out of the house toward safer places. We were all shocked and in panic,” said Zahoor.

Khan’s story echoes across the LoC, where the shelling between 7 and 10 May left nearly 2,000 homes damaged in Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch and Rajouri districts, according to a report by J&K Opposition leader Sunil Sharma. The economic toll is staggering — over 340 livestock perished in Samba alone, and crops were ruined, threatening the livelihoods of farmers and herders.

In just four days of cross-border shelling, at least 18 people lost their lives, including four children and two women, with the majority of deaths reported from Poonch. Over 70 were injured.

There were no human casualties in Kupwara district; however, hundreds of structures — including houses, shops, schools and mosques — were damaged in its Tangdhar and Karnah regions near the LoC.

During the shelling, many people either fled on their own or were evacuated by the administration to safer locations across all affected areas.

“Approximately 80 per cent of the 100,000 residents living along the LoC in Karnah had left for safer places either during the shelling or days before it,” Peerzada Syed, a senior journalist and prominent citizen of Karnah, told National Herald.

In Uri, fleeing during the shelling proved fatal for one such family. Nargis Bano (45) was killed, and two other relatives critically injured when an artillery shell hit the vehicle they were escaping in from their village Razarwani on 8 May.

Despite a 2021 ceasefire bringing over four years of relative calm, the recent violence has reignited fears. Syed doubts the ceasefire’s durability, especially with Operation Sindoor signalling continued military response to terror attacks.

The lack of proper bunkers further compounds this vulnerability. While the Central government approved the construction of 14,460 bunkers in 2017–18 at a cost of Rs 415.73 crore for Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Poonch and Rajouri, many in Baramulla and Kupwara are either non-existent or in disrepair — lacking roofs, electricity and basic amenities. “I built my own bunker in 2005 for Rs 3 lakh,” Syed said. “Not everyone can afford that. The government must step up.”

While the guns have now fallen silent and calm has returned, uncertainty still looms large. Most residents who had left the affected areas have returned or are in the process of returning, but they remain fearful. Nevertheless, they are trying to come to terms with the situation and restart their lives, not an easy task.

Raja Waqar, principal of a private school in Karnah and general-secretary of Civil Society Karnah, told National Herald, “The biggest challenge for us will be returning to our farms. There could be unexploded shells. As we’ve seen in the past, many of these are discovered even during peacetime. Although bomb disposal squads have searched the area and cleared numerous shells, the fear remains.”

The damage and loss goes much deeper. Waqar says the constant fear of shelling, combined with loss and displacement, has led to widespread anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder among residents, and especially in children.

“Another major concern is the well-being of the younger generation, who are psychologically vulnerable. Unlike children in other parts of J&K, those living along the LoC are struggling with a range of mental health issues triggered by the persistent threat of artillery fire,” said Waqar.

Dr Wasim Kakroo, a Srinagar-based clinical psychologist, confirms this. “We often miss the emotional baggage experienced by the affected population. Children and adolescents, in particular, may be more vulnerable as they lack the experience and emotional resilience to cope with such traumatic events,” Kakroo told National Herald.

“The lack of resources, and shortage of mental health professionals in such far-flung areas makes the residents even more vulnerable,” he added. “Most people in the border areas carry generational trauma, as they have witnessed wars and skirmishes for decades. Therefore, fear and a sense of insecurity are ingrained in their genes.”

“Clearly, the road ahead is filled with challenges — rebuilding homes, recovering livelihoods, and healing from trauma. Yet, the biggest hurdle is the uncertainty of whether peace will hold. “We’re trying to start over,” Waqar said, “but the question of safety hangs over us all.”