'Pray this is the last time': Jammu & Kashmir border residents hope for lasting peace after sudden ceasefire

Srinagar: For the first time in days, silence returned to the border villages of Kashmir on Saturday - not the uneasy silence of fear, but one laced with hope.

The sudden ceasefire between India and Pakistan, announced on Saturday evening, after days of intense shelling, drone and missile strikes brought a flicker of relief to people in the border districts of Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, and Rajouri, who had been living under the shadow of death.

It was US President Donald Trump who first broke the news. “After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE.”

Soon after, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar confirmed the development. “India and Pakistan have today worked out an understanding on stoppage of firing and military action.”

“India has consistently maintained a firm and uncompromising stance against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. It will continue to do so,” he said.

But in Kashmir, it wasn’t diplomacy that mattered - it was the sudden silence after a week of horror.

“We saw hell. We truly did,” said Irshad Ahmed (52), a farmer from Tangdhar in Kupwara. “Three nights without sleep, the children trembling, our homes shaking from shelling. We had no idea if we’d see the sunrise. Now, we just pray this peace lasts.”

In the remote hills of Poonch, where bunkers have become more familiar than bedrooms, families clung to each other as the news broke.

“My children haven’t laughed in days,” said Shazia Begum, a mother of three. “Every night, they cried thinking it was their last. Today, for the first time in a week, they asked to go back to school.”

Villages near the Line of Control, such as those in Uri and Poonch, had turned into ghost towns as families fled. “We can repair homes. We can’t bring back the dead,” said Abdul Rashid (42), from Uri. “In this fight between nations, we are the ones who bleed. We are tired. We are broken. We only want peace.”

The ceasefire follows one of the most intense escalations in decades, with both sides exchanging heavy artillery, drones and missiles striking military posts and civilian areas alike. Dozens of casualties have been feared, though official counts remain unavailable.

On social media, especially in Srinagar, the ceasefire dominated conversation. Screenshots of President Trump’s tweet circulated widely. “Peace Zindabad!” opposition PDP leader Iltija Mufti wrote on X, echoing the sentiment of thousands.

Still, residents remain wary. Too many ceasefires in the past have shattered without warning. “We’ve heard promises before. But something about this one feels different. Maybe it’s the exhaustion, maybe it’s the prayers. We just want our children to live without fear,” Shazia Begum said.

As dusk settled over the valley, and the evening azaan echoed from mosques, people whispered quiet prayers — not just for the souls lost this week, but for a tomorrow where they wouldn’t have to dig graves under falling shells.

“We don’t want to be brave anymore,” said Shazia. “We just want to be safe.”