Pakistan Rangers and army have intensified firing and shelling of border villages with greater frequency after the surgical strike episode vehemently denied by Pakistan army and civilian Government. Pakistan has been constantly violating the cease fire agreement of 2003 and Indian authorities have regularly brought the breach of the agreement matter to the notice of Islamabad. Apparently there seems no impact of India referring to the breach of the clauses of agreement and Pakistan has now made the entire LoC and parts of IB live. Quite naturally, BSF is responding to the unprovoked shelling adequately. How long these skirmishes will continue is anybody’s guess. Losses are happening on both sides of the dividing line. Innocent people get killed for no fault of theirs and what is more, large number of people living in villages close to the LoC and IB are forced to abandon their homes and seek shelter and safety miles away from original habitats. One should understand that village folks are glued to their holdings, their cattle wealth and life that has adopted agricultural pursuit as profession for generations at end. It is very hard for them to lose their homes, fields, crops, cattle and everything and go and live in a cluster in joint bunkers meant for collective shelter. Five districts of Jammu region, namely Poonch, Rajouri, Jammu, Samba and Kathua have the border touching with Pakistan and PoK. All along the LoC, in Jammu and in Kashmir region, Pakistan has set up launching pads for terrorists to infiltrate into our region under their well calculated plan of creating disruption of law and order, attacking police posts and army camps and killing civilians and then telling the world that these are Kashmiri so-called freedom fighters. Pakistan army or Rangers give them cover fire when these jihadees or fidayeen make an attempt of infiltration. Another objective of Pakistan in opening fire on the civilian habitats on our side of the line is to scare away the civilian population so that the infiltrators can move about safely once they have entered our side of the LoC.
In one of our recent editorials we took up another aspect of the damages caused by Pakistani shelling on the civilian habitats on our side of the IB and LoC. We said that the standing crops of farmers are suffering serious damages owing first to the shelling as shells very often fall in the fields where crops have ripened. Secondly, as the farmers living close to the border are forced to abandon their homes and the standing crops that have to be harvested now get damaged. We had exhorted the authorities to consider the plight of such farmers and come to their rescue. It is satisfying to note that the Government has responded to the issue. The Chief Minister along with high ranking officials has visited the camps where the affected families have been shifted for safety purpose in both districts of Poonch and Rajouri. The CM and her team also visited the affected families along the International Border. The interaction between the affected people and the CM was very useful and the CM issued certain orders on spot that would lessen the plight of the affected people. On the insistence of the border dwellers she issued orders that instead of collective, only individual bunkers will be constructed so that privacy of the people is maintained. The concerned officers will come up with a plan to that effect and the CM may be approaching the Central Government for assistance in this behalf while the State Government would also contribute its share. The CM has announced a relief of Rs. 30,000 for each cattle killed by firing. She said that the kin of those who have died in the border firing will get an ex-gratia relief of Rs 5 lakh. She also gave away cheques of the initial amount/instalment to the next of kin of those who died in the border firing. After visiting the camps of the displaced people, the Chief Minister instructed authorities to ensure that ration, water, medicine, electricity and other necessary facilities were provided to the displaced border dwellers besides construction of individual bunkers for use during the firing hours.
We highly appreciate the visit of the Chief Minister and her high powered team to the displaced border dwellers in the camps. It conveys them the message that the Government is alive to their difficulties and will do everything possible to reduce their suffering. These are brave people who suffer bitterly at the hands of Pakistani forces who break all norms of a civilized society and begin shelling of civilian population which is a crime under Geneva Convention. We salute these brave men and women who have pledged to remain glued to their places of residence despite firing by the enemy on the other side of the line.
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