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Border lives in disorder "There seems to be a big question mark as to when a war between India and Pakistan will break out. Yet, in this prevailing situation, as of now thousands of lives on Indo-Pak border are dwindling between life and death. Hectares and hectares of cultivable fertile land remain barren and vast cattle population get scattered. Both in Pakistan and India, the lives of border areas are in disorder. Despite all these trials and tribulations, the border villagers show their happiness and glee in order to encourage the soldiers. This is the most glorifying aspect that can be seen at the border." Bibhuti Bhushan Pati from Indo-Pak Border : Revised on July 9, 2009 The Mumbai terrorist attacks and the Poonch encounters have soured Indo-Pak relationship. Although the DG of BSF M K Kumawat says, “The people of India have not been panicked and continue to live peacefully. As yet there are no discernible signs of any war between India and Pakistan breaking out imminently.” But on the Indo-Pak border a proxy war situation is seemingly discernible. The tug-of-war has commenced at the international level. Both the countries have strengthened their borders with militia. This proxy war situation on the border has severely affected the life of the villagers staying in the border villages. Western range Additional D.G. of BSF Mr U K bansal said, “Pakistan is gathering large military troops. The situation from Pakistan border side is not normal. Watching the situation otherside we have tightened our security and informed details to the Home Ministry and Army, Air Force and Naval Chief as well. On the Indian border senior BSF officers are posted. The Army is on high alert on the 2308 KM Indo-Pak international border.” The border villagers of Jammu, Rajasthan, Punjab have already been notified to vacate their villages. The sickly, elderly, children and women have been moved to safer places. Few villagers of the border areas are staying to look after their land and homes. Beside this, the villagers provide services to the soldiers in spite of their lives being in peril and danger. The women folk of Tetnath, Munawa and Satruj villages are staying and providing services to the army for serving their motherland. Reena Komraderay of Khurai village says “if one is fortunate then only does she get an opportunity to serve her motherland. We are eleven women like Sounita, Jumi, Vholina and Thopi who are staying in our village. The district administration have been duly informed, in writing, about our stay. To protect the soldiers from the bitter cold, we are providing firewood in the evenings. We are moving more than 10 KMs to collect firewood. Rosy Nur is providing hot water only.” In the village of Pulaknajari and Batwer Sector, the patriotic songs are being played by the people day and night. The popular song ‘Pukartaa watan tumhe pukartaa ma bharatee …….’ is more often being played by the villagers. “Under the leadership of Javed Noorani the Muslim villagers are performing our puja at dawn for peace and India’s victory. In the evening we are performing street plays & folk dance to entertain the soldiers", says Mounu Hitangi. The picturesque evenings in Guahagaon village are highly thrilling. The villagers of this area are shouting out, aloud, the hit dialogues of Bollywood, including ‘Hindustan Zindabad’. These dialogues break the monotonous eerie silence of the cold nights. Lost in memory, 60-year-old Bulbul Hunja of Kharkhan village narrates, “getting together and separating is our fate. But now, we don’t want this, we want a direct war that would draw a definite and sustaining result. But politicians of both the countries do not want this. The politicians of both the countries only want to churn out votes by keeping the tension across the border alive". Ralu Manjit of Tatnath village is quite dissappointed with the way forces and officials behave with the villagers. “The entire agricultural land of the village has been spread with landmines. Crops have been destroyed. The coming two years will be the years of accute food shortage for us and our animal husbandry. As of now, it is a must for each one of us to carry our ID Cards or face the prospect of being tortured.” Manoj Rana of Attair village says, “our security system is full of big holes. Only when incidents like Mumbai attack and Kargil war takes place, our Government and military get sensitised to act. Otherwise, they just close their eyes to many things. The illegal weapons and drugs trafficking from Pakistan and Nepal are still maters of concern. >>> Scroll down to read rest of the Story
In this war-like situation the worst affected are the farming communities living, mainly, in the Jammu border. In the border areas the basic source of livelihood is agriculture. A villager Nirmal Singh of Suchetgarh says, “We were living peacefully for the last five years. We were harvesting good crops, our economic condition was quite good, there was no debt burden. But now all the land has been taken over by the military. The soldiers do their marching on the agriculture land. As and when we get our lands back, it will take at leest two years to make these lands suitable for agriculture. Situation is much more serious since the Parliament House attack in 2001.” About the compensation packages offered by the defence ministry, Dina Ram of Kathua village says, “the military declared compensation for our land. But it took long time to get the compensation amount. The amount is very less and we even don’t get it at the time of our need. The official red tape makes it very difficult to get the money in time. Many people are yet to get the money due since 2001.” Like Dina Ram. Dilwan Singh of Jouriaan village, Mohanlaal of RS Pura village, Shyam Gurda of Munawa lament the same thing. The border villages of Pakistan have been entirely vacated. All public communication systems have been paralysed except the military vehicles. The border villages like Thata Dhiwan, Kharakhoha, Manglidera, Thatajhararhan, Echogil, Bismaaun, Loovnwala, Keerawala, Bahasin, Thaati Kwada, Bahawalpur, Gujraanwala and Nadra are entirely filled up with military troops. According to a Journalist Mark Whathed, “The villagers of Weda and Echogill are facing several problems for transportation of their domestic animals, sickly and the elderly people and thie daily necessities. The bonafide villagers who are still staying in the villages are struggling with hunger.” Again Shaukat Khan Ali and Maqbool Ahmed of Misman and Nadra village respectively spoke, “the condition of the bonafide villagers is not good. They are neither being told to leave their villages for ever nor being provided with adequate support from the military. The 1971 situation on the border is very apparent.” Fariyad Butt and Zafar Iqbal of the Dilwaan and Khorekho village spoke, “the electronic media channel is propagating news that shivers down the spine of all civilians. Consequently, tension rules over the common people of both the countries. The people lose their essential belongings while running to save the life. Author is a senior jounalist and the Associate Editor of www.hotnhitnews.com
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