Ashutosh Sharma
It was 2002, just after the Kargil war. Lost in the remote mountains of Pir Panjal, a small village in Poonch district of Jammu & Kashmir, Hill Kaka was bustling with militant activity. Situated at an aerial distance of about 20km from the Line of Control (LoC), there were no traces of Government infrastructure and civil administration in the area. Even if one died in the village, the burial shroud would reach after the sunset on the second day.
The eerie and isolated village in Surankote tehsil – which remains snow-enveloped between December and April – was ideal for sheltering trigger-happy militants, who had reportedly dug themselves deep into well entrenched bunkers in criss-crossing ridges. It was a time when they would intermittently massacre, kidnap and torture villagers freely.
Their base camp was reportedly operational for about four years before it came to light with the capture of a militant – indicating a huge intelligence failure – the following year. The village was vacated and subsequently, in an offensive, code-named Operation Sarp Vinaash (Destruction of Serpents), the area was successfully cleared by the Indian Army.
After the operation, which was supported by military-trained locals of nearby Murrah village, the residents were allowed in 2005 to return to their homes which had been destroyed in the conflict. A tent was all that the returnees received from the Government. The seven crore rupees relief amount was swallowed by district officials. Subsequently, a probe was conducted by the State vigilance department and the court framed charges against 14 officials in April last year.
Nevertheless, life in Hill Kaka remains the same as it was before it hogged headlines. The place seems like a forgotten battlefield where the Government is yet to begin a war against socio-economic backwardness.
From the nearest motorable road at Kalali Army Post in Surankote tehsil, it takes a full day’s trek through the mountain trails to reach the village. The challenges do not end here, as one has to ford a snow-fed stream en route for at least 10 times to reach the village which is home to 81 families.
“We don’t have roads, electricity, a hospital….nothing”, regrets a local, Aashiq Hussain. He asks, “Can you imagine? Many women, elderly people and children in this village haven’t seen a bus or an electric bulb.”
“The village has a population of about 800. Half of them habitually migrate to lower reaches during winter and the remaining, for want of means of living elsewhere, stay put in seven to eight feet snow by practicing unusual survival strategies”, Hussain says, claiming that villagers are Gujjars but don’t enjoy official Scheduled Tribe status.
Even the national rural job guarantee scheme like MGNREGA seems to be failing on all counts here. “Nearly 300 villagers have job cards but there is no work. Government officials seldom come here”, rues a 70-year-old Mohammad Mishri, adding, “It takes us at least three days to collect ration from the tehsil headquarters. Imagine our plight.”
A middle school – with an enrollment of 87 – resembling a small tin-shed, is the only Government infrastructure the village can boast of. The villagers, however, complain that teachers hardly visit the school. “Political workers visit us only during the elections to promise us everything. But after the elections, they never turn up to show their faces”, the agitated villagers say, listing their problems.
After class VIII, students generally stop studying further as the nearest high school is in Kalali – which is more than eight hours away from Hill Kaka. Like many others, Mohammad Zubair, a student of class VIII, will also leave school this year. “I will search for livelihood as I cannot afford to live in Surankote to continue studies”, says Zubair, whose mother, Begum Jaan died some years ago due to medical complications in pregnancy.
On the serpentine tracks here, an ailing person cannot be ferried even in a palanquin. “For want of healthcare, our people especially expecting mothers and elderly die every year”, bemoans, Sageera Bi, adding, “A primary health centre was announced for Hill Kaka immediately after we resettled here but we haven’t seen it yet”.
Dilpazeer, a local student says, “It takes two days’ foot journey to reach our panchayat headquarter Marhot from Hill Kaka. The passenger fare between Bufliaz and Kalali, which is hardly 11km stretch, is Rs 100. Words like governance have no meaning here.”
“We gave prime of our youth to national security but what we have received in return? Today we face threat from militant groups on the one hand and Government’s apathy on the other. We were promised jobs in security forces, infrastructure development and all basic amenities. But none of the promises were fulfilled by the Government after the militancy ended,” complains Tahir Fazal, a resident of Murrah village who claims to be the head of State’s biggest Village Defence Committee (VDC) that has 180 members including women, at Awaam-Jawan Smarak, Kalali. The memorial was raised some years ago to commemorate the VDC members and Army men who laid down their lives while bravely fighting militants in the area.
Tahir who has lost many close relatives and friends during militancy, further says, “We are directly affected by the infiltration bids at the LoC. Militants can target us at any point of time as the area has poor communication network and lacks development infrastructure.”
After having fought along with security forces against militancy till 2005 and losing many precious lives, the VDC members like him feel cheated by the Government. “Our situation is like those warriors who reached the other shore of the river and have burnt down their boats,” he sums up.
Member of Parliament, Jammu-Poonch, Madan Lal Sharma says, “Since the local MLA is not keeping well, Surankote constituency has suffered immensely on development front. First and foremost, Hill Kaka should be connected with the road network. Also, the State Government needs to motivate the officials to serve in Hill Kaka as they are still scared of going there.”
“As the village has predominantly Scheduled Tribe population, it’s responsibility of the State Government to ensure them basic facilities under special welfare schemes of Central Government aimed at amelioration of their living conditions,” he says, assuring that he would also highlight the issue in parliament.
Given the scenario, the Government without any further delay, needs to focus on human security and development as post-conflict strategy for sustaining hard earned peace and stability. Since nothing has changed on the ground, possibilities of militants exploiting the current situation cannot be ruled out.
(The writer is media fellow with National Foundation for India).
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