Ajay Raina
JAMMU, Oct 6: Border dwellers, who are repeatedly assured of plots of land in safer zones, don’t see any seriousness from any quarter in this regard and they are of the opinion that this issue has only become a tool to control their anger following firing and shelling from across the border by the Pakistani forces.
“This issue becomes favourite subject for the politicians while meeting the people after each and every incident of shelling and firing but the fact is that no seriousness has so far been shown by the successive State as well as Central Governments to give practical shape to this demand”, said the people belonging to different border areas, who had gathered at Government Medical College and Hospital to enquire about the condition of their relatives injured in last night’s shelling in Arnia sector.
Leaders of different political parties would come to meet these injured persons and express every support in getting the long pending demand of plots in safer zones conceded but their support will fade with the passage of time and atleast till next shameful act on the part of Pakistan, said brother of Pak shelling victim Tilak Raj, while interacting with visiting EXCELSIOR Correspondent in Medical College Hospital. Bother of Tilak Raj, had already migrated to safer place of his own in absence of assured land in safer zone by the successive Governments.
However, he added that this time they (politicians) would keep on raising this issue even after restoration of normalcy in border areas as elections are round the corner and they need our votes to make their fortunes. “But we are not going to be misled any more as no significant progress has so far been made on the demand of border people till date”, he stated.
“How long we would be allowed to become fodder canon for the shelling and firing from across the border”, they asked, adding “the hostility of Pakistani forces is spoiling our future and unless some alternative is created we will continue to be at receiving end”.
One of the injured Tilak Raj, a Zamindar and resident of Arnia, who also suffered injuries in his leg, which was later, amputated, while talking to Excelsior said that “we are living on border to die as the successive Governments never cared for us and our lives. Successive Governments made us sitting ducks on border to get targeted by the Pakistan forces directly.
Earlier, we had to go to safer places several times, but this time the firing was unprovoked and we were not given an opportunity to save ourselves, he added.
Roshan Lal, a resident of Rayia Kotli and driver by profession, who was undergoing treatment at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) revealed that the Pak started shelling from across the border at around 1 am and at that time I was sleeping in my bus, which was parked in the Arnia Bus Stand.
“I hid myself at a safer place and at around 4 am, when I came back and tried to run away from the spot along with my bus to some other safer place, a shell exploded near my bus, and a splinter hit my foot, after which I was shifted to hospital for treatment. In the incident, my bus also got damaged.
A student of BSc Part-III Arjun Saini, son of Rampal Saini, a resident of Ward Number 13, Arnia, while narrating his nightmarish experience of the Sunday night stated that “the shelling by Pak side started at around 1 am and I along with my neighbour hid ourselves at a safer place”. As I was talking to my neighbour, a splinter hit my head due to which I landed in the hospital.
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