Muzaffarabad, May 7, 2025 – Residents in Pakistan-administered Kashmir have described an unnerving night marked by repeated explosions from Indian air strikes and shelling retaliatory shelling that rocked their region in one of the most intense cross-border escalations events ever witnessed in recent history.
Farhan Ali, 34-year-old shopkeeper from Neelum Valley said it felt as if “the whole sky were falling” upon hearing of explosions near hills, fields and even close to homes exploding all around. People spent their night hiding indoors without turning any lights on until morning had come around again.
Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, reported an overnight artillery and aerial bombardment along the Line of Control (LoC). Indian claims indicated it conducted “precision strikes” against suspected militant training camps and launchpads across the LoC.
Pakistani military responded swiftly, declaring they had “strongly retaliated,” successfully intercepting several Indian aircraft. Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) also reported some areas near the LoC being targeted by Indian jets but provided no details on casualties or damage sustained to infrastructure.
Residents in villages near the Line of Control reported widespread panic, with many families fleeing into makeshift bunkers or seeking refuge with relatives farther from the border. “With no warning at all, a boom shook my windows a second time – my children were crying!,” reported Shabana Bibi from Kotli – mother of three and praying that it would end.
Neelum and Poonch districts of Punjab province have been put on high alert, though officials have not released an official count of casualties. Witnesses claim several homes were damaged during an overnight bombardment; several animals also perished, according to eyewitness reports. Emergency workers could be seen surveying debris early Tuesday morning amid fears that unexploded ordnance may still remain underfoot.
Though Pakistan’s government has appealed for calm and condemned India’s actions as unprovoked acts of aggression, fears on the ground remain real.
Hafiz Ullah, a schoolteacher from Athmuqam said his biggest fear wasn’t war but being forgotten between two countries; no one asked how they live there daily.
Human rights groups have raised serious concerns over the safety of civilians in conflict zones, urging both India and Pakistan to refrain from actions which put civilians in peril. “Any shelling or bombing targeting civilian areas constitutes violations of international humanitarian law,” according to Human Rights Watch spokesperson.
As international calls for restraint intensify, those living along the Line of Control remain on edge, uncertain of what the next day or night might bring.