*Peace drowned in dhellfire, LoC residents fear more conflict, the lights are off*

Aadil Abdullah 

Srinagar, May 7: Until recently, villages along the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir were becoming new tourism destinations, with places like Uri, Tangdar, and parts of Poonch hosting travelers, campers, backpackers, and families in hillside homestays.

But all of that turned to smoke and silence overnight. On Tuesday night, Pakistani artillery shattered the fragile peace, pounding several villages along the LoC in one of the worst flare-ups since the 2021 truce. With at least 11 civilians killed and more than 50 injured, border tourism has collapsed, and the night lights that once glowed from tents and guesthouses have gone dark.

“There used to be laughter and bonfires here just a week ago,” said Imtiyaz Ahmad, who had last year converted part of his home in Uri into a homestay for trekkers. “Today, there is only silence, broken by the sound of distant shelling.”

For years, border residents had lived in fear, but the last four years brought a rare stretch of calm. Locals began to dream beyond survival. Young people opened cafes, promoted camping sites on social media, and invited tourists to experience life along the border.

In Tangdar and Poonch, tour groups had started including these areas in their itineraries.

"Even the government had launched promotional drives to turn these regions into tourism zones, but now, all that lies in ruins," the locals said, adding that they live in constant fear of what might happen if the situation worsens.

They further said that the administration instructed locals to turn off the lights at night, and they complied. "The lights are off now," they added.

Majeed Khan, another Karnah resident, said that people in the entire area are living in fear, with many having left the village while others chose to stay.

"We feel completely suffocated, unsure of what will happen next," he said.