Poonch, May 12 -- As the hostilities between India and Pakistan died down, Poonch residents moved back to their homes, only to find the damage left behind by shelling.

Sanjeev Sharma, who returned home after four days, found the house's first floor had suffered severe damage. He recounted how his family fled to Surankote, a nearby town towards Rajouri, as shelling intensified.

"We left in a hurry, grabbing whatever we could. People were terrified. There were 12 of us crammed into a single car and the roads were jammed. The first floor of my house has been damaged, but fortunately, we had left before it happened," he says.

He is not alone in the ordeal. Poonch was among the worst-hit areas in the Pakistan shelling over the past four day...