| Students, teachers of Poonch relieved by India-Pak ceasefire agreement | | | Early Times Report
POONCH, Mar 3: Students and teachers of the Faqirdara school in Jammu and Kashmir's border district of Poonch no longer have to live in constant fear for their lives thanks to the recent cease-fire agreement between India and Pakistan. A teacher of the Faqirdara school, Mandeep Kaur, told that the school's infrastructure had been damaged by bullets.
"Whenever firings used to happen, the school was always affected. The walls have a lot of bullet marks and we have had to get a lot of repair work done. As soon as the firing started, students would get very tense and scared," Kaur said. "As soon as we found out that India and Pakistan have agreed to a ceasefire, we were very happy. The students also feel relaxed now," she added.
According to Muhammed Rafiq, a resident of the village, many students were hesitant to go to school as the area often witnessed firing from both sides of the border. "There used to be a lot of firing from both sides and we always felt like we were in danger. But the last few days have been peaceful and school children also feel safe now. Many could not go to school because they were afraid. But the government's decision has brought peace," he said.
Students have also expressed relief that they can now study in peace. "We have witnessed many firings at school. It has stopped now and we can study in peace. We are happy," said Muhammed Azad, a student.
"We are glad that the firing has stopped. We used to feel very scared. I am grateful," said Nazma, another student. Earlier last week, after discussions between the Director Generals of Military Operations of India and Pakistan, the two sides have to cease firing along the Line of Control (LoC) and all other sectors with effect from midnight of February 24 to 25.
The discussion between the two armies took place at a time when a large number of ceasefire violations were taking place along the LoC and violence levels were going up especially for the villagers living along the LoC on both sides. "Both sides agreed for strict observance of all agreements, understandings and cease firing along the Line of Control and all other sectors with effect from midnight of February 24 to 25," a joint statement issued by the Defence Ministry said. |
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