Trigger Warning: War, violence.
RAZARWANI, URI : For the family of Nargis, the night of May 8 was supposed to be an escape from danger. Instead, it turned into a moment they will never forget, a night that changed everything. As the bombs fell and the air filled with fear, a mother was lost, three others were injured, and a family was left broken, not just in body but in spirit.
The night of the escape
At around 9 p.m. on Thursday night, a vehicle carrying nine members of a family tried to leave the border village of Razarwani in Uri. Cross-border shelling had intensified. The family believed it was finally safe enough to move. But as they made their way through the darkness, a shell struck their vehicle.
Forty-year-old Nargis, a mother to four daughters and two sons, died instantly. Three other family members were injured. The rest of the family survived but were left in shock.
‘We were only trying to survive,’ said Mohd Shafi, Nargis’s brother-in-law. ‘We stayed until we couldn’t anymore. And just when we thought we had a chance, we lost her.’
Nargis: a mother, a backbone
Nargis wasn’t just a mother. She was the support system of her home. Her husband suffers from chronic asthma and hasn’t been able to work regularly. With her three children, Nargis managed the home, kept the family together, and carried them through years of hardship in a conflict zone.
Her 16-year-old daughter, Sanam, now finds herself facing a world without her mother. At her home in Razarwani, she was crying as she remembered their last moments together.
‘We were running to save ourselves,’ Sanam said. ‘We were together rushing towards the vehicle . And then she was gone. Why did they take her? Bring her back please, bring her back.’
Left behind with burdens too heavy
Nargis’s death has left her family not only grieving, but also struggling with practical challenges. Her husband, already unwell, is now responsible for the children with no steady income. The other family members are still recovering from their injuries.
Her husband, already unwell, is now responsible for the children with no steady income. The other family members are still recovering from their injuries.
Tasveer Begum, Nargis’s sister, sat by Sanam in the room filled with sorrow, holding her hand tightly. ‘That moment during the blast, we were all screaming. We froze in fear. She’s gone now, and her children, her husband and everything is on our shoulders. But we are already breaking,’ she said.
Tasveer pleaded for support from the government. ‘Please don’t forget this family. They have nothing left.’
A village emptied by fear
The village of Razarwani is gradually seeing its residents return. Though people are coming back, the fear from past shelling still lingers deeply in their hearts. The death of Nargis was a painful reminder of the lasting impact of the conflict.
Afsar Khan, a local resident and close friend of the family, recalled the night with tears in his eyes. ‘She died shielding her children. What kind of world is this, where a mother’s arms become her last shelter? We’ve lived in fear for years, but this is too much,‘ he said.
Nargis’s children are struggling with trauma
Now at home, the family is trying to cope with what they saw and felt that night. Thirteen-year-old Sahiba, a neighbour and close friend of Nargis’s children said she said she fainted during the first explosion.
‘I didn’t know if I was alive when I woke up,’ she said. ‘When I heard Nargis Baji had died, something broke inside me. She always said we could be anything in life, if we studied hard. We had plans. Now, everything feels lost.’
The children are not just scared, they’re emotionally scarred. Sanam hasn’t stopped crying since the incident. The other siblings are confused, still asking when their mother will return.
‘We left Razarwani to escape the shelling. As we reached Mohurra, a projectile hit our vehicle. The impact threw us up and down. My aunt, who was inside, screamed that her head was aching badly. My mother, sitting beside me, leaned her head on my shoulder and lost consciousness. We got out and brought her near some light. Her face was torn. Blood flowed, hot from the shell’s heat,’ Nargis’s daughter said.
‘My mother has been martyred. I accept that. But I carry one regret. In her last moments, she asked me for water. I couldn’t give it to her. That helplessness will never leave me. There were no proper facilities in nearby health facility at Mohurra. They told us to take her to District Hospital Kantbagh, Baramulla. But the driver didn’t know the way. We lost time. We lost her,’ she added.
‘I fold my hands and ask both countries to stop the war. If you must fight, at least inform us beforehand. Let us save our children. Let us protect the ones we love. Only the wounded understand pain. Those who speak of war from a distance should first stand at the border and lose someone. Then they will understand what war truly means‘, said the grieving daughter.
A house full of sorrow
Nargis’s family had been preparing for a celebration as the elder daughter of Nargis was set to get married next month. Now, there is only grief in the household.
Nargis’s family had been preparing for a celebration as the elder daughter of Nargis was set to get married next month. Now, there is only grief in the household.
‘Her daughter was to be married,’ said Khatija Begum, a relative. ‘Who will celebrate now? Who will sing and prepare her as a bride? The house was once full of joy. Now, there is only silence.’
Nargis’s elderly mother, who lives with another daughter in Nowshehra, broke down when she heard the news. ‘She was coming to me,’ she said, ‘Now I will only see her in my dreams.’
Nargis’s story: asking for help, hoping for peace
Nargis’s story is not unique, but it is deeply personal to those who knew her. The family’s loss is a reminder of the cost civilians bear in times of conflict. They were not involved in the fighting. They just wanted to be safe.
Another relative said, ‘We don’t want to live like this anymore. We want peace. We want to raise our children without fearing the next blast. But even that feels like too much to ask here.’
‘Let this be the last’
For Mohd Shafi, the pain is raw. He still can’t believe his sister-in-law is gone. ‘We’ve lost so much already,’ he said. ‘Let this be the last. Don’t let another family go through what we have. Let Nargis’s death mean something. Let it bring attention, help, peace, anything but not war.‘
As cross-border shelling has stopped due to the ceasefire agreement between both countries, the voices of Nargis’s family grow stronger. They seek peace, safety, and a chance to live normal lives. Above all, they want her death to be the last tragedy caused by violence.
