When artillery shells began pounding his village near the Line of Control, Mohammad Iqbal, a power plant worker in Indian-administered Kashmir, had no choice but to tell his family to huddle together on the ground floor and hope for the best. For four days, Iqbal and his neighbors endured some of the most intense exchanges of fire between India and Pakistan in decades, as the two nuclear-armed rivals retaliated over the killing of 26 civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir.
The conflict left families shattered on both sides of the contested region. In Iqbal’s case, his brother-in-law and niece were injured after a shell exploded near their home’s water tank. The chaos that followed saw villagers scrambling into cars and trucks in a desperate attempt to reach hospitals. Though his brother-in-law survived, Iqbal lost two neighbors, adding to the toll of civilians caught in the crossfire. Pakistan reported 40 civilian deaths and over 120 injuries, while India confirmed 15 civilian casualties and 59 wounded, alongside military losses on both sides.
As the ceasefire took hold on May 10, residents on both sides of the de facto border expressed relief but remained gripped by anxiety. In Akhnoor, India-administered Kashmir, Amir Choudhary told CNN that while markets had reopened and people were returning, the nights still brought fear. Similar sentiments were echoed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where Saima Ashraf said the ceasefire felt temporary and many displaced families were hesitant to return home until the situation stabilized.
Kashmir, a region divided since 1947, has long been at the heart of tensions between India and Pakistan, with both countries claiming it. Over the years, political and military actions on both sides have deepened the divide, from India’s 2019 revocation of Kashmir’s special status to Pakistan’s positioning of the region as central to its national identity. While leaders in both capitals have declared military success, those living along the Line of Control are simply hoping the fragile ceasefire holds and that a path toward peace can be found.
For many Kashmiris, the latest flare-up has been a reminder of how quickly daily life can collapse into chaos. Iqbal, like many others, is left picking up the pieces, grateful his family survived, yet painfully aware that the region’s future remains uncertain. As he told CNN, “We have only homes to rebuild, and our family is together. I hope things don’t resume, but there’s no guarantee.”
