A cloud of grief fell over Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday night as the Indian missile strikes tore through the peace in Muzaffarabad and Kotli, leaving a trace of grief, rubble and grief.
In the wake, burial beans repeated over stadiums and streets and united societies in shared loss and tross.
In Muzaffarabad, KH Khurshid Stadium became a reason of sport, but of grief. There, under a cloudy sky and tearful beans, the caretaker of Masjid Bilal in Shawai Nala and two of his assistants became goodbye to hundreds of grieving.
Their last journey led them to Neelum and Rawalakot, where they were laid to rest with dignity and love.
In Kotli, tragedy hit a family with heartbreaking cruelty. Nineteen -year -old Misbah Musa and her twelve -year -old brother Umar Musa were killed in their home during the missile attack.
Their mother, who had bred them alone while their father worked abroad, stood crushed as thousands gathered to offer final prayers and stand in solemn solidarity.
What began as a funeral quickly turned into a thunderous protest. With grief transformed into Fury, the quantity was led by Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s rehabilitation minister, Javed Budhanvi-marched in a passionate anti-India-rally. Song pierced the silence, called Indian aggression, and expressed unshakable support for the Pakistani army.
At the rally, Minister Budhanvi raised a question that repeated in every parent’s heart:
“What did India get by killing two innocent children? What rationale can there be to tear a family apart like this?”
The same evening, in Fatehpur Thakiala, another bald claimed a woman’s life. Her funeral the next day was marked by hundreds of grieving who gathered to honor her memory.
The region, already familiar with the sounds of conflict, now bore the heavy silence of collective grief.
Clashes along the control line escalated in the wake of the attacks. Hoved exchanges between Indian and Pakistani forces led to further lost lives.
At dawn, the toll had reached ten dead and thirteen wounded over Azad Kashmir. Among the dead, civilians from Rawalakot and Haveli were trapped in the cruel cross -fire of escalating tension.
Former President Sardar Masood Khan visited the site of the attacks on Masjid Bilal and offered words about tribute and comfort. He paid tribute to people’s resilience and courage and called them “symbols of bravery in the light of unprovoked violence.”
In response to the rising threat, all educational institutions across AJK were closed, and Prime Minister Anwarul Haq announced the establishment of a central emergency center – prepared for the possibility of broader conflict and promising quick support for the vulnerable communities near the border.
Azad Kashmir has seen many storms. But through tears and smoke, the spirit of its people remains unbroken – to raise their losses, honor their martyrs and stand defiantly in the light of aggression.
