Mustaf’s sister’s home was damaged in the shelling, but the family survived because they had fled just a few hours before a shell landed on their home. “We had also been demanding the

construction of bunkers in the past. But our pleas fell on deaf ears. After the destruction caused by Pakistani shelling, we appeal to the government to fast-track construction of bunkers so

that at least the lives of border residents are saved,” said Showkat Check, a resident of Salamabad village of Uri, which was also in the line of fire of Pakistani troops. He said the

situation is fragile and “there is no guarantee that the ceasefire will hold and the government should start construction of bunkers for the border residents”. Thousands of border residents