Locals perturbed by closure of schools in Poonch

Amidst heightened tensions between Indian and Pakistan, schools along the Line of Control (LoC) have been shut for the past couple of weeks, leaving locals in the region perturbed.

Speaking to ANI, Mohammed Rafiq, a resident of Poonch, said education in the region is getting hampered due to the closure of schools.

"Schools have been shut down for many days now, few exams have also been cancelled. Firing from the Pakistani side is going on. What do we do? We are not educated enough to even teach our kids at home," he said.

Due to continuous cross-border firing along the LoC, Poonch District Magistrate Rahul Yadav had on Friday informed that schools and colleges near the border areas would remain closed.

The state administration had ordered the construction of 200 additional bunkers in Poonch for sheltering civilians amidst heightened tensions along the border. However, locals said this too was hampered due to constant shelling from across the border.

Ceasefire violations by Pakistan have increased in the last few days in the wake of tensions between India and Pakistan.

There were reports of Indian Army using heavy artillery fire and even anti-tank missiles to pound Pakistani positions across the LoC in retaliation to the shelling.