Living on the edge: Uncertainty defines life along Jammu borders

THE border villages of Jammu region have always lived in fear as uncertainty is not an occasional phase triggered by tensions between India and Pakistan but a permanent feature of their daily life dictated by geography.Villages along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri and Poonch districts and the International Border (IB) in Kathua, Samba, and Jammu districts bore the brunt of heightened tensions and a brief conflict between the two countries last year. Cross-border shelling forced residents to flee their homes temporarily, compounding the misery of communities that have lived with uncertainty for decades.A period of relative calm followed the 2021 agreement between India and Pakistan to strictly observe the 2003 ceasefire. However, memories of violence remain deeply etched in the collective consciousness of border residents.Most households carry the scars of shelling—sudden evacuations, sleepless nights spent in underground bunkers, and hurried migrations to safer areas. Locals recount how entire villages were moved overnight whenever Pakistan resorted to unprovoked firing and shelling.Education has been a major casualty of the conflict. Many families have sent their children to stay with relatives in urban areas, particularly Jammu city, as frequent shelling disrupted schooling. The lack of adequate medical facilities is another pressing concern, which came into sharp focus during Operation Sindoor, when some deaths were reported due to the absence of timely medical care and infrastructure.Although farmers have returned to cultivating fields that lie directly in the firing range of Pakistani posts, fear continues to shadow their daily work. Many are reluctant to venture close to the zero line, haunted by last year’s conflict. Several families now hesitate to invest fully in agriculture, worried that any escalation could destroy their crops and livelihoods overnight.Adding to their anxiety are the recent sightings of drones in border areas. Once an occasional occurrence, drone activity along the LoC and IB has become increasingly frequent, often followed by large-scale search operations by security forces, further unsettling the villagers.Despite enduring repeated displacements, economic losses, and psychological trauma, border residents continue to display remarkable resilience. Yet, resilience should not be mistaken for acceptance. They endure hardship not by choice, but because alternatives are limited.Residents seek more than just recognition of their resilience. They demand sustained peace, focused policy intervention, improved healthcare and education facilities, and the construction of more protective bunkers to safeguard families in the event of future hostilities.

Living on the edge: Uncertainty defines life along Jammu borders

#JammuJournal: From shelling to drone sightings, locals endure fear, displacement and neglect

Arjun Sharma

Our Correspondent

Living on the edge: Uncertainty defines life along Jammu borders

#JammuJournal: From shelling to drone sightings, locals endure fear, displacement and neglect

Arjun Sharma

Our Correspondent

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