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- Villagers in border areas return home after military conflict
- Residents seek compensation for damaged homes, livelihoods
JAMMU/SRINAGAR: Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan are maintaining a ceasefire that ended four days of intense military clashes, but many in the Indian-administered part of disputed Kashmir are demanding compensation for damages from cross-border firing.
Hundreds of villagers evacuated their homes as the rivals targeted each other鈥檚 military installations with missiles and drones, killing about 70 civilians, after New Delhi struck what it called terrorist camps across the border.
Many returned to find their homes destroyed or roofless.
鈥淲here will we go with our kids? We don鈥檛 have anywhere to live and anything to eat,鈥� said Roshan Lal, from the village of Kot Maira in Akhnoor in the district of Jammu, about 7 km (4 miles) from the de facto border.
The shelling had left his home uninhabitable, the 47-year-old added.
鈥淚 want to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi鈥檚 government for justice,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e need compensation for the damages.鈥�
In the nearby village of Pahari Wala, farmer Karan Singh said he buried seven cattle in his field, while his family are living in makeshift shelters.
鈥淚 left the village when the conflict began,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have a place to stay.鈥�
In Salamabad, a border village in the Kashmir Valley, shelling injured Badrudin Naik and his six-year-old son, but both returned home after five days.
鈥淚 am happy to return,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut my house is damaged. My two uncles鈥� houses were completely destroyed. We want a permanent peace as it is we on the border who suffer more.鈥�
Hindu-majority India and Muslim Pakistan, which both rule part of Kashmir, but claim it in full, have fought two of their three wars over the region and engaged in several smaller clashes over the decades.
Teams have fanned out in the region to assess damage to homes, shops and other facilities, said a senior local government official, who sought anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to media.
鈥淭oday our teams have gone to the areas which were affected,鈥� he said, adding, 鈥淭he government will decide the amount of compensation.鈥�
On Monday, Modi warned Pakistan that New Delhi would target 鈥渢errorist hideouts鈥� across the border again if there were new attacks on India. Pakistan denies Indian accusations of supporting militants who attack India.
Standing in front of the cracked wall of his Pahari Wala home, Joginder Lal said Modi should ignore US President Donald Trump, who announced the ceasefire, saying Washington had played a role in halting the fighting.
鈥淲e want to take full revenge against Pakistan,鈥� the 60-year-old added.