Tension along LoC and IB in the State has sharply risen in the aftermath of 29 September surgical strike. It was expected and more is yet to come. Firing and shelling across the border is nothing new. This phenomenon has become part of history as it began with the partition of the country and subsequently Pakistan sponsored tribal attack on Kashmir in October 1947. The border is live though there have been intermittent short periods of calm. The primary reason for Pakistan to indulge in unprovoked firing is that it is part of Pakistan’s strategy of keeping the Kashmir pot boiling.
The issue of forced migration of civilian population from endangered and threatened areas close to the border like Pallanwala, Jourian, Suchetgarh, Hiranagar and other places has to be looked at and understood from two perspectives. One is the exigency arising out of defence needs or security and the second is the human element in the entire scenario. Both sides need to be kept in mind. When there is totally unavoidable defence requirement the people have to make sacrifices for the nation, for their state and for their families. Sacrifices generally are not made with an eye to compensation. Sacrifice is sacrifice and it becomes an honour when made in the larger interests of the country. The Defence Minister is most unhappy to see the civilian population forced to migrate. The army is there to defend and not to force migration. But when the defence strategy of the country demands, migration has to be made. The nation expects this sacrifice from the people. To think that why only the border dwellers should be asked to make sacrifices is not true. In the overall defence strategy of the country every Indian is making a sacrifice. We have to remember that the country which is our western neighbor has only one policy and one philosophy and one objective and that is destruction of India. This is a terrorist state wedded to violence, bloodshed and warmongering. We are not going to accept it. We will meet the challenge because we cannot accept the diktat of anybody about how we should live our lives and what ideology we should adopt for our society. Therefore, we have to make sacrifices in whatever way we are asked to.
However, the other side of the phenomenon is that of responsibility of the Government and humanitarian care of the affected people. Nearly fifty thousand persons have been affected along the LoC and IB who have had to migrate permanently or temporarily. The Government and the civil society have the responsibility of providing these displaced persons as many facilities as is possible. Their accommodation, survival, sanitary and medical requirements and education of their children are essential requirements. Of course there will be temporary arrangements of their lodgment in school buildings, Government accommodation and also ultimately tents or hutments whatever as was done in the case of displaced persons from Kashmir valley in the wake of seditionist upsurge in 1990.
The State Government has the responsibility to take special steps in bringing comfort and relief to the displaced persons from borders. There is great need of providing privacy to the families and it is inhuman to make 200 souls live a huddled life in one hall where there is no arrangement for separate toilet for the female population. A number of departments are involved in this process. We are told that the Forest Department has refused to open their huts for temporarily accommodating the migrants. This is deplorable and such elements as do not understand the complexity of the situation should be put in responsible and crucial positions.
The fact of the matter is that we are almost in a state of war with Pakistan. Twenty-seven years ago, Pakistan started proxy war in Kashmir which continues to present day. By Pakistan’s Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Udhampur and Uri attacks on army camps, it is now clear that Pakistan is broaching very dangerous and nefarious designs. After showing great restraint for many years, India has felt that enough is enough and the evil has to be nipped in the bud. That began on 29 September. The position now is that Pakistan had pledged to the seditionists and traitors of Kashmir that when the unrest initiated by them reaches its zenith, Pakistan would launch full-fledged attack on Kashmir. This is what Pakistan is precisely planning. Therefore, we must understand that we have to be prepared for more aggression and more attacks by Pakistan through the jihadi legions and the ISI sponsored outfits. This we will fight to the finish. Therefore, not only those who have been living on the border but the entire population of the State and the country have to be alerted and prepared for adequate response to the enemy. While our sympathies are with the border migrants and we strongly make a plea to the Government to provide them all succour, we also want to boosts their morale by helping them understand the ground situation.
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