A Revolt Simmers In Poonch, Where Children Grow Up Under The Shadow Of War

The Muslim majority district, with proximity to LoC, is not new to a ‘war-like’ existence. It has always held the tricolor high, but this time things are different. The shops are open, and the roads are busy. The schools are functioning normally. People are busy with daily work. There are no restrictions and no shutdown is visible. On the surface, the situation appears fine, but beneath this veneer of normalcy lives a disgruntled population of Poonch, harboring a deep grudge as if a revolt is seething.

A vast mountainous region, Poonch is located along with the treacherous Pir Panjal range where villages are scattered widely along slopes as rivers and streams flow in deep ravines. A Muslim majority district with over 90% Muslim population, life in Poonch is not easy due to the difficult terrain. The earth is tough with limited scope for agriculture, people grow maize mostly and only a few patches are good for beans, apples, and pears.

What makes life in Poonch most complicated is its proximity with the Line of Control (LoC), many villages on this side are always in the line of fire from Pakistani posts, perched atop the mountain range. The ceasefire violations along the LoC are a regular feature in these regions, manned by military posts on both sides.

More than 45 days have passed since Article 370 was abrogated in Jammu and Kashmir, ripping apart its state status and bifurcating it into two Union territories Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. A massive clampdown was enforced across the erstwhile state, hundreds, including politicians, activists, lawyers, and students have been arrested.