Rebuilding J&K: On Amit Shah’s visit

Jammu and Kashmir bore the brunt of Pakistan’s response to Operation Sindoor, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah rightly focused on both security and development during his visit to Poonch, where residential areas were hit by shelling from across the border. A comprehensive relief package is planned alongside the construction of more underground shelters for civilians. The J&K government is still in the process of assessing damages, but Poonch was by far the worst-affected district. A preliminary report submitted by a committee set up by the BJP to the Ministry of Home Affairs identified 1,500 houses — 690 in Poonch and 534 in Uri — that were damaged in the indiscriminate shelling. At least 18 civilians — 14 in Poonch alone — lost their lives. Pakistani shelling hit towns in Poonch, Baramulla, Kupwara and Rajouri, and the damage to civilian infrastructure was considerable. Mr. Shah on Friday visited the affected regions, expressed solidarity with the people, and handed out job appointment letters to the kin of those who lost their lives. Earlier, the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, and representatives of the Trinamool Congress visited the victims.

These border residents felt heard, their sense of fear dissipated to some extent, and their morale boosted by these visits. The Indian Army’s statement on the India and Pakistan ceasefire “not having an expiry date” is reassuring for the border residents. Life is limping back to normalcy with residents returning to their homes, many of them shattered by the shelling. The J&K government is struggling to meet the demands of the affected population. This was evident from the relief amount approved up to ₹1.2 lakh to fully damaged houses. The affected and displaced residents described it as “insufficient” for them to return to their once-concrete and multi-storey houses. Against this backdrop, Mr. Shah’s promise of a relief package is a ray of hope. Around 9,500 bunkers — 8,000 in the Jammu division and 1,500 in the Kashmir Valley — have been built by the Centre so far. However, there is a growing demand for individual bunkers in sparsely located populations in border areas of J&K, especially in the Kashmir Valley, to ensure civilians manage to shift to safer locations immediately in case of shelling by Pakistan. The Centre and the elected government in J&K should work in tandem to help border residents who are in distress.