Poonch (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], June 8 (ANI): As Operation Sindoor, launched by Indian armed forces in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack, marked one month on Saturday, people living near the Indo-Pakistan border in Poonch district said that life is slowly returning to normal after the ceasefire with schools opening and people getting back to their routine.

'Uss bhayanak khwab ko bhule toh nahi hain, lekin bhoolne ki koshish kar rahe hain. (We haven't forgotten that terrible dream, but are trying to forget it),' said Pradeep Khanna, a local resident in Poonch.

Speaking to ANI on Saturday, Khanna said, 'Operation Sindoor was launched to avenge the Pahalgam terrorist attack that claimed the lives of 26 people. Prime Minister Narendera Modi said that the terrorists would be given a befitting reply, which they received. On intervening May 6-7, nine terrorist hideouts in Pakistan were destroyed. After that firing took place here in Poonch, which is also called the battlefield of Jammu and Kashmir.'

'After the ceasefire, life is slowly returning to normal. Schools have reopened, and people are returning to their works. We haven't forgotten that terrible dream, but are trying to forget it. We celebrated Eid al-Adha together with all the people here in unity. Operation Sindoor is not over yet. The people of Jammu and Kashmir are united in the fight against terrorism,' said Khanna.

India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 and struck nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir in response to a ghastly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam last month in which 26 people were killed.

After the attack, Pakistan retaliated with cross-border shelling across the Line of Control and Jammu and Kashmir as well as attempted drone attacks along the border regions, following which India launched a coordinated attack and damaged radar infrastructure, communication centres, and airfields across 11 airbases in Pakistan.

After this, on May 10, an understanding of the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan was announced. (ANI)