“Three days after the ceasefire, essential services remain unavailable as civilians allege state apathy and political negligence.”
Political Activist and academician from Rajouri-Poonch decry governments response during and after cross boarder shelling. Thepeople of Poonch are in the throes of a humanitarian disaster. The total administrative collapse following intensified cross-border shelling has exposed not only bureaucratic failure but an unforgivable absence of empathy, accountability, and constitutional commitment from the elected government in J&K. Eyewitness accounts from the Gurudwara Poonch shelling paint a chilling picture: no ambulance, no medical personnel, no district officials were present.“There was no one—not a single official,” said one survivor. And yet, political entourages arrived—escorted and insulated—for optics, not for relief. As one Hindu saint in Poonch lamented: “The Government is busy regaining political ground elsewhere—not extending a hand to the powerless.” This absence of action is not a lapse of capacity; it is a failure of compassion. Three days into the ceasefire, citizens still lack access to drinking water, medicines, food grains, emergency care, and infant nutrition. The PHE Department has abdicated its responsibility. Water, a basic right, remains out of reach. Public grievances are ignored. Meanwhile, political leadership has gone silent. Chief Minister. OmarAbdullah visited GMC Jammu but has not set foot in ground-zero districts like Poonch and Rajouri. If Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha could reach volatile Uri, why has Poonch been kept unseen and unheard? The National Conference must stick to its historical obligation in this region. Since1947, Poonch has voted for National Conference and its youth have extended unwavering loyalty to the party. In return, it has received institutional neglect and political abandonment. Silence now amounts to betrayal. As desperate families fled to Surankote, they encountered a total absence of administration: no transport, no shelters, no safety corridors. In that vacuum, opportunists thrived. Private transporters charged thousands for short distances.
“The Chief Minister must visit Poonch and Rajouri to provide reassurance. All martyrs—civilian and uniformed—must be recognized with state funerals and national martyr status. Compensation must be delivered to affected families. A comprehensive relief and reconstruction package must be extended to all border areas. Anything less would be a failure of governance and compassion—an unforgivable abdication of duty in one of the nation’s most testing hours.”
In any functioning district, such exploitation would prompt seizures and prosecutions—not silence. Adding insult to injury, a school teacher who gave his life to protect students during Pakistani shelling was posthumously labeled “anti-national” by sections of the national media. No government voice defended his honour. Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh civilians martyred in the conflict remain unnamed, unrecognised, and unhonoured. Their sacrifices were real. Their memories deserve dignity. Yet in this grim landscape, one man’s duty stood out: ADC Vikas Thapa of Rajouri, who attained martyrdom in active service. His legacy must not be the exception—it must be the standard. This is not a political demand; it is a humanitarian declaration.The peopleof Poonch are asserting their constitutional rights to life, dignity, and justice. Immediate, decisive action is the only moral and administrative response. The residents of this district eagerly wait for the return of all government officials to duty, a crackdown on profiteering, and the restoration of essential services—clean water, electricity, food, and healthcare. Mobile medical units must be deployed, and relief camps with free shelter, food, and medical care must be established without delay. Furthermore, we call for political accountability and symbolic justice. The Chief Minister must visit Poonch and Rajouri to provide reassurance. All martyrs—civilian and uniformed—must be recognized with state funerals and national martyr status. Compensation must be delivered to affected families. A comprehensive relief and reconstruction package must be extended to all border areas. Anything less would be a failure of governance and compassion—an unforgivable abdication of duty in one of the nation’s most testing hours.
(The author is a freelancer. The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”)
Dr. Mussarat Choudhary
[email protected]
