A day after Border Security Force and the Pakistan Rangers assured each other that “peace and tranquility” would be maintained along the International border in J&K, the exchange of firing has intensified along the border in Uri. This is after a long time that the Line of Control in North Kashmir has become a scene of cross-border shelling forcing relocation of the people to safer places. Five residential houses were damaged on Saturday morning in heavy exchange of artillery between the two sides at Silkote and Churanda. The cross-border firing between India and Pakistan has been intense after the militant attack at army base camp at north Kashmir’s Uri camp. The cross-border skirmishes have now become routine and both the Indian and Pakistani troops carry out heavy exchange of small fire and also use mortar shells to pound the civilian habitations. On both the sides the death and destruction caused by the firing is unprecedented. On Monday from both India and Pakistani side heavy mortal shelling was exchanged which resulted in loss of at least 14 civilians. Border skirmishes have heightened as the government forces fight the street protests on daily basis here. Both India and Pakistan have charged each other of violating the 2003 ceasefire agreement. The border firing has also triggered large scale migration of people in the Jammu region from the areas of Poonch and Rajouri along the Line of Control (LoC) as well as along the international border (IB) at Samba and Akhnoor. India and Pakistan are locked in a worst confrontation and have even threatened to suspend the trade ties, while there has been a vocal opposition to the working of Pakistani actors in the Bollywood films here. There is a need that both the countries start a credible dialogue process at the earliest.