Operation Sindoor: Uri’s LoC residents pin hopes on lasting peace

Idrees Bukhtiyar
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20 Apr 2026

Uri, Apr 19: As Operation Sindoor completes one year on May 7, 2026, residents living in villages along the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir’s Uri sector have expressed hope for the continuation of peace along the borders, saying it is crucial for their livelihoods and daily life.

The residents said that relative calm over the past year has allowed them to return to routine activities such as farming, schooling, and running small businesses, which are otherwise severely disrupted during periods of cross-border shelling.

“Peace on the borders is everything for us. When there is no firing, our children can go to school without fear and we can work in our fields,” said Lal Hussin Kohli, a resident of Charunda village along LoC in Uri. “We have seen difficult times in the past, so we only pray that this peace continues.”

Locals said that cross-border shelling has historically taken a heavy toll on their lives, forcing families to abandon homes, livestock, and crops at short notice.

“Whenever shelling starts, we have to leave everything behind and rush to safer places. It affects our income and mental peace,” said Bashir Bhat, a resident of Uri’s Garkote village. “This past year has been relatively calm, and we want that to continue.”

However, residents also voiced concern over the lack of adequate safety infrastructure, particularly the absence of community bunkers in several vulnerable villages.

They said that despite repeated assurances, no community bunkers have been constructed in parts of Uri even a year after Operation Sindoor.

“Not a single community bunker has been built in our area after Operation Sindoor. In times of emergency, we have nowhere safe to go,” said Irshad Ahmad, a local from Silikote village. “The government must prioritise this because peace can be unpredictable here.”

Another resident, Talib Hussain from Hathlanga village, echoed similar concerns, stating that community bunkers are essential for ensuring civilian safety. “Even if the situation is calm today, we cannot take chances. Bunkers are a basic necessity for people living along the LoC,” he said.

Residents urged the authorities to take concrete steps to strengthen civilian safety measures while also maintaining efforts to preserve peace along the border.

“We are hopeful that peace will prevail, but at the same time, the government must be prepared and ensure our safety,” said a local elder.

Operation Sindoor, launched to stabilise border areas and reduce tensions, has brought a period of relative calm, but for those living along the LoC, the demand for lasting peace and protective infrastructure remains as urgent as ever.

The operation was carried out on the night of May 7-8, 2025, in response to heightened tensions along the LoC.