In a steep escalation of tension between India and Pakistan on Friday, just a day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir, five Indians, including a BSF jawan, and seven Pakistanis were killed on both sides of the international border. Over 40,000 border villagers were forced to migrate from their homes while some of the migrants have taken shelter in makeshift camps set up by the administration, most others preferred to shift to the houses of relatives and friends.
As per reports there were confirmed large scale migration from RS Pura, Arnia, Ramgarh and other sectors close to the International border (IB).
On Tuesday, 18 civilians were injured in the scuffle those with serious injuries were referred by attending doctors to government medical college hospital in Jammu.
Dozens of cattle have also perished in shelling while houses and other structures have suffered huge damages.
WHO BEARS THE BRUNT ?
The disharmony of political rhetoric that follows every cross-border fire exchange between Indian and Pakistani troops,the voices of one particular group is conveniently ignored. It is those living close to the border — on both sides — who bear the maximum brunt of these conflicts. However, they are the ones left to clean up the mess while the military-political class sidelines their issues terming it as ‘collateral damage’. In addition, the media does its part by blaming the lack of focus on these people’s issues on the ‘tyranny of distance’ — that is, if these issues find any mention at all.
The “befitting replies” that both the armies proudly shout on prime-time television (or the replies that are shouted on their behalf) are reduced to the threatening sounds of shells passing overhead or landing/exploding on something that the residents have dedicated their lives to.
The phenomenon of cross-border fire exchange is neither new nor does it show any sign of ebbing in the near future. What varies, though, is the intensity and severity of these scuffles depending upon the political leadership in Islamabad and New Delhi. Momentary respite often gives way to an incessant volley of mortar shells and bursts of LMG fire. But what we don’t hear over all the noise, thereafter, is the effect of these violations on the nearby villages, its people, their property and their livestock.
One of the most volatile borders in the world, Jammu and Kashmir is seen as a “geopolitical flashpoint”, and a territorial bone of contention between India and Pakistan. And often when a cross-border firing happens, the discourse that dominates every field, including academia, policy and media, is either about ‘the grand scheme of things’ or a hollow rhetoric on ‘de-escalation’. However, these discourses, so far, have failed to acknowledge the plight of these unwitting frontliners in this war of attrition.
Hidden behind the dispassionate statistics of ceasefire violations and incessant shellings are human faces — who neither chose to be in the situation nor are combatants in this fight. A walk through one such village reveals a grim reality of living in a constant fear of death and destruction. For them, weapon acquisitions or deployment by either of these armies aren’t a cause of unabashed pride nor does it provide them with any semblance of security. Contrary to this rhetoric, which newsrooms boast about in a gleeful tone, these weapons are rather a periodic reminder that these nightmares are far from over.
The intermittent barrage of mortar shells is not the only hindrance to a normal life in the village. Whenever the tension between the two countries reaches a critical level, the village canal, running alongside the LoC, is electrified to prevent cross-border infiltrations. This deprives the local residents of a much-needed water source.
This is their everyday life. They are used to it now. They do not want to leave this village. Their families have been living here since 1947. Moreover, They have their agricultural lands and they work on them. This is their home. They aspire for peace and pray every day that peace prevails between these two countries so that they live in peace for once.
Nanga is just one of the many villages that has experienced this ill-fated showering of shells. However, despite the increasing familiarity with sounds of shell bursts, the residents still consider themselves better-off than some of the other villages which are closer to the border and where these shells have claimed several lives.
