Uprooted again

The residents of some 1,000 villages along the border who have been told to leave their homes at short notice may be forgiven for not celebrating whole-heartedly the success of Wednesday night’s surgical strikes. Being once victims of terror, they do appreciate the swift, surprise, anti-terror Army action, but they are also apprehensive of Pakistani retaliation and the hostilities escalating to war. While a seasoned politician of a war-ravaged state, Parkash Singh Badal, was quick to praise Prime Minister Modi for “one of the rarest operations in the world”, it was a relatively inexperienced and younger Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti, who displayed statesmanship and truly articulated the legitimate fears and concerns of people in the border states. She said: “War is never an option to resolve issues. The future of the troubled region has to be defined by common economic interests instead of hostilities — confrontation could lead to a disaster of epic proportions if urgent steps are not taken”. 

Without war adding to their worries, a bare survival in the border areas is harsh enough. With limited opportunities for a better life, they depend on slow-growing agriculture and have limited access to good education, quality healthcare and workable infrastructure. It has taken them years of hard labour to build a modest, dignified life, which stands threatened by war now. They are fearful of uncertainties associated with dislocation and scared of obscene war-mongering. They worry more about their ready-for-harvest paddy crop and children going to refugee camps rather than school.  

This may not be the right time to pinpoint the persistent discrimination with the border villages by the successive Central and state governments. The cultivated neglect, however, has bred a thriving nexus of drug peddlers, policemen and politicians. The drug-terror cartel can execute another Pathankot-type attack. Public support is vital for an army in action. In Punjab it has always been available in abundance in the border areas despite people nurturing political grudges and complaints of discriminatory development. One hopes the national and state leadership recognises and rewards their helpful efforts, inconveniences and sacrifices at critical junctures.