Border Residents in Uri celebrate this year’s first wedding amid Ceasefire pact

Baramulla, May 01: With ceasefire along, Line of Control (LoC) completing two years, joyous wedding ceremony was held in the Churunada border town of Uri in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, marking the first celebration of its kind this year.

Although the relations between India and Pakistan are currently strained, both sides have taken measures to ensure strict compliance with the ceasefire, providing a great sense of relief to those living on both sides of the de facto border who had previously experienced frequent firing and destruction of homes.

Choudhary Lal Hussain, a local resident whose sister was married told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that relatives and neighbors came together to celebrate the wedding, an event that had been previously disrupted by cross-border shelling between the two armies.

Expressing gratitude towards his loved ones for attending the ceremony, he remarked that the peaceful situation in the area over the past two years had made such gatherings possible.

Gulam Rasool, another local said that the wedding was a lively affair, with women singing traditional songs and men playing drums with great enthusiasm.

“Such celebratory events are only possible in an atmosphere of peace and stability, and we hope and pray that such conditions continue at the borders so that people in border areas can live their lives with a sense of safety and comfort,” he said.

Mohammad Amin, another elderly local expressed his joy at the newfound ability to hold celebratory events in his village.

He remarked that in the past, the fear of shelling made it difficult to even hold funeral ceremonies in their homes, let alone weddings. However, he expressed relief that the situation has now improved significantly.

“Before, we used to worry about whether we would be able to hold a wedding or not because of the constant threat of shelling and violence. But now, with the ceasefire in place and a peaceful atmosphere prevailing, we can hold our ceremonies with joy and celebration. It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to carry on our cultural traditions without the constant fear of shelling,” he said.

Last year, approximately 250 weddings took place in the border villages of Kashmir, evoking memories of past times when celebrations were held in the comfort of one’s own home rather than being relocated to safer areas outside the villages—(KNO)