Rs 10k for 25L loss: J&K border villagers hit by Pak shelling say govt compensation is not enough
Srinagar: Amid mounting losses from cross-border shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir, residents of Kupwara, Baramulla, and Poonch districts have expressed deep dissatisfaction over the government’s compensation, describing it as grossly insufficient despite massive destruction of their houses.
“My house was completely damaged in the Pakistani shelling. I spent Rs 15,000 to clear the debris, but surprisingly, the government gave me only Rs 10,000 as compensation,” Mohammad Maqbool Khan, a resident of Sonora, close to the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, was quoted as saying by The New Indian Express on Tuesday.
Khan estimated his total losses at Rs 25 to 30 lakh and said senior civil and police officials had visited the village to assess the damage. Despite this, Khan remained stunned by the meagre relief provided by the authorities.
More than hundred houses and structures were reportedly damaged in mortar and artillery shelling by Pakistani troops in the border areas of Tangdhar and Karnah in Kupwara district, and Uri in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
In Uri’s Parampilla village, close to the LoC, the house of Syed Mustafa’s sister sustained severe damage, with shattered windows, broken doors, cracked walls, and destroyed household items. Mustafa estimates losses running into several lakhs of rupees but said the government has disbursed only Rs 6,500 as compensation, a sum he deemed inadequate, the report added.
Similarly, in the neighbouring Salambad village of Uri, three houses were fully damaged and three others partially affected in Pakistani shelling. Among the worst hit were the homes of brothers Talib Hussain and Mohammad Younis, sons of Sultan Niak, which were declared unsafe to live in. Abdul Rashid Awan, former sarpanch of the village, highlighted the high costs of construction materials and labour locally, estimating that building a two-storey house costs between Rs 35 and 40 lakh.
The government has compensated the two brothers Rs 1.3 lakh each, while damage assessments continue for other affected residents. “The families had spent their whole life’s earnings in the construction of the houses, and now they are being offered Rs 1.3 lakh to rebuild the homes. Is it possible to construct a house in that amount,” TNIE quoted Awan as saying.
The situation is no different in Poonch, where Mehtab Din Sheikh’s house in Dongas was severely damaged in cross-border shelling on May 7. Sheikh estimated his losses at Rs 15 lakh but said the Rs 1.3 lakh compensation he received was insufficient even for minor repairs, let alone rebuilding the house.
Border residents whose homes were damaged in the shelling have urged the administration to provide adequate compensation to facilitate reconstruction. In addition to residential damage, at least 31 schools have been affected by Pakistani shelling in Poonch and Rajouri districts.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
