Mehbooba Mufti Calls for War-Impacted Zone Status in Jammu and Kashmir

PDP Leader's Urgent Appeal

On Tuesday, Mehbooba Mufti, the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, urged the government to officially designate regions along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir that have suffered from Pakistani shelling as 'war-impacted zones'.

Mufti emphasized the need for immediate rehabilitation efforts in these areas, stating, “I request that all these areas be declared as war-impacted zones, so that the work on their rehabilitation is taken up on war footing,” during her address to the media.

She also called for the recognition of individuals who lost their lives due to the shelling as martyrs, asserting that this would honor their memory and provide their families with certain benefits.

“This will give them respect as they were innocent, and their families will also get some benefits,” she remarked, adding that the government should offer employment opportunities to the relatives of the deceased.

Furthermore, Mufti proposed that families whose homes were destroyed in the shelling receive financial assistance of Rs 50 lakh each to aid in rebuilding their residences.

In Tangdhar I felt numb like a ghost wandering through memories. LoC shelling steals lives, shatters childhoods and forces families to flee. Helpless women with babies in their laps wandering outside the ruins of the only homes they have known. Half of Tangdhar has fled to… pic.twitter.com/2duCgOoTvO

— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) May 19, 2025

On May 10, an agreement was reached between India and Pakistan to cease hostilities following a four-day conflict.

The situation had intensified on May 7 when the Indian military executed strikes, known as Operation Sindoor, targeting what it claimed were terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

This military action was a response to a terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 26 individuals on April 22.

In retaliation, the Pakistan Army engaged in continuous shelling of Indian villages along the Line of Control, leading to the deaths of at least 22 Indian civilians and seven defense personnel.