Unheard Voices from the Line of Fire: Where lull brings feeble hopes but lives don’t change

Aman Zutshi

KADYALA, KATHUA: Amidst the echoes of cross-border shelling, the twin villages of Kadyala and Gujjar Chak on the India-Pakistan International Border stand as silent sentinels, bearing witness to the unrelenting hardships faced by their resilient inhabitants. The cacophony of mortar explosions has become a haunting soundtrack to their lives, leaving indelible marks on their collective psyche.

Ceasefire A Respite But Worrying

A man from the Gujjar community, his eyes reflecting the scars of conflict, speaks of the respite brought since 2021 ceasefire. “The shelling has now reduced. The government has made bunkers for us, and we are secured now.”

“We are also getting a free ration from the present government. Now we can freely take our livestock near the zero line as earlier we used to face difficulty,” he says.

His words offer a glimmer of solace amidst the chaos, a testament to the resilience of these border dwellers. Yet, he is mindful of the vulnerability of the borders and the fragility of the ceasefires.

A ceasefire between India and Pakistan in 2003 lasted for nearly ten years but hostility resumed in 2013, resulting in casualties, destruction of homes, disrupting lives, and frequently dislocating people.

Even during that decade, occasional ceasefire violations continued to be grim reminders of the shaky and volatile ground in which these people live.

The 2003 ceasefire memories are punctuated by the horrors of ceasefire violations. “It was good for nine months, and then again hostilities resumed,” a villager says, revealing that any lull is but temporary.

Hostility along the borders has been a norm, leading to massive civilian casualties and often triggering displacements. Shelling on the borders increased to the unprecedented level of 4134 incidents in 2001 after India started work on border fencing along the International Border and the Line of Control.

The incidents of hostility jumped to 5767 the following year. However, after the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan, they came to an abrupt halt. The incidents of hostility were down to 2841 in 2003. All these incidents had taken place before the ceasefire.

From 2004 to 2006, the ceasefire violations were down to one digit figure. However, in 2007, they started increasing after the peace process between India and Pakistan broke down. Between 2007 and 2011, the number of ceasefire violations was still in two digits and a majority of these violations happened along the Line of Control.

The villages along the International Border began to be impacted gradually in 2012 when the ceasefire violations went up to 114. In 2013, the violations jumped to 347. In 2014, 2015 and 2016, 583, 405, and 449 violations took place.

Given this history of ceasefire violations, most villagers naturally wonder how long will this peace last even as they seek solace in the comparative calm for now.

Youth Yearn For Better Future

Deepika Sharma, brims with youthful optimism, expresses her aspirations with a hopeful gaze, “I hope the government can do something for the youth.”

The youth list many limitations and voice their aspirations with a sense of urgency.  “We are yearning for a better future, one that promises opportunities and security,” says Aarav Sharma and makes a plea for special packages and concessions.

Both Aarav and Deepika voted for the first time in the recent elections and said that their vote was employment opportunities for the youth.

Yet, their innocent desires stand in stark contrast to the harsh realities that surround her.

A Gujjar woman, her face etched with worry lines, recounts her woes with a trembling voice, “My children, who have studied till the 12th standard, were not given jobs. They were failed by single marks.”

Her words carry the weight of shattered dreams and dashed hopes, a tragedy played out time and again in these border hamlets.

The tumultuous situation at the borders coupled with lack of good schools often disrupts studies, making it difficult for students from the villages on the zero line to complete their studies.

The simmering frustration among the villagers of the zero line is palpable, their voices laced with anger and disappointment.

A man stands defiantly, his words cutting through the tense atmosphere like a sharp blade. “The government has completely failed in our border village. It has failed to conduct recruitment for the youth of this zero-line village, which is a pressing demand of the villagers, and people are very angry.”

His expression hardens as he continues, “The people at this zero line are mostly in defense services. For a long time, we have been raising a demand to build a Kendriya Vidyalaya school for our children, as they have to travel far to attain education. But our demands were never met.”

Giving voice to the collective anguish, he adds, “There was also a demand from the people for the government to give them 5 Marlas of land, as their lives have been drastically disturbed due to the incessant shelling.” The weight of their sacrifices hangs heavy in the air, a reminder of the toll exacted by living in the line of fire.

Reservations & Recruitments

Mohit Sharma, a youth living at the Kadyala border, shares his frustration with the unemployment that forces youth from their village to opt for petty labour.

He blames the flawed reservation system, “Our studies remained disturbed due to the cross-border shelling for months. We appeal to the government not to extend the borderline reservation to 10 km for army recruitment and keep it only for us who are close to the zero line.”

“Army recruitment drives have taken place from time to time here but the people from other villages, which are away from the borders, got enlistments in the army as our studies remained disturbed due to the cross-border shelling for months,” he explains, and adds, “we cannot compete with them.”

His words carry the weight of a generation caught in the crosshairs of conflict, their dreams sacrificed at the altar of survival.

Koushal Sharma echoes Mohit’s sentiments, revealing the depth of their anguish, “We couldn’t study much as it remained impacted because of which whenever the Indian army started recruitment, we qualified for the physical test but couldn’t pass the written exam.” Their voices resonate with the collective trauma of a fractured education, a consequence of living in the line of fire.

The echoes of mortar fire still reverberate through Kaushal’s memories, haunting reminders of an education disrupted by the constant shelling from across the border. His voice thick with emotion, he recalls, “Our schools used to remain shut due to the incessant pounding from Pakistan’s artillery. We were forced to seek refuge in a makeshift migrant camp situated in the nearby village of Marheen, our pursuit of knowledge reduced to a desperate struggle for survival.”

Kaushal’s eyes grow distant as he recounts the toll exacted by the unrelenting conflict. “We couldn’t study much, our minds constantly preoccupied with the thunderous explosions that shook the very ground beneath our feet. The impact on our education was profound, leaving us ill-prepared for the rigours of the written exams demanded by the Indian army’s recruitment process.”

An elderly man from Gujjar Chak village laments the extension of border reservations to areas far from the zero line, “Chadwal is close to us; they have extended the reservation to people living in the mountainous areas of Kathua. Why did they make bunkers in our village, which is under Pak’s firing range, but not there?” His words carry the weight of decades of neglect and broken promises.

In 2018, the then Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited RS Pura in Jammu’s border area and promised the constitution of 9 new battalions, with 2 specifically for border areas. He also assured a 60% quota for border youth in the 5 Indian Reserve Police (IRP) battalions being raised then. However, the local community is still awaiting the recruitment drives to fulfill these commitments.

The youth living in villages along the border areas have endured the traumatic experience of cross-border firing and mortar attacks, instilling a sense of fear not only within their own villages but also in the neighbouring ones, almost all villagers say, as a matter of fact manner.

Insecurity Fueling Anxiety & Addiction

“This constant state of insecurity has had a profound impact on their psychological well-being, hindering their mental development and depriving them of opportunities for personal growth and exposure,” said one of them.

“Despite being situated in close proximity to the border, with 22 villages directly affected, these communities have been largely neglected and left to grapple with the consequences of such volatile circumstances. The children in these areas have never been provided with the chance to participate in educational tours or excursions, such as the “Bharat Darshan Tour,” which could have broadened their horizons and offered them a respite from the harsh realities they face daily,” he said.

While the presence of the Border Security Force (BSF) is acknowledged, their involvement has been limited to organizing free medical camps in two villages, which have been discontinued for over a year. Furthermore, the absence of a functional Border Welfare Association for the past three years has left these communities without a platform to voice their concerns or receive guidance and support.

The frustration and hopelessness have taken a darker turn, fueling the spread of social ills that threaten to unravel the fabric of these communities. “The frustration is leading to the spread of drugs, addiction, mining, and a deteriorating law and order situation,” a man laments, his words painting a grim picture of the consequences of neglect.

An elderly resident of Kadyala village expressed concern over the local youth’s susceptibility to addiction due to unemployment.

He stated, “The idle minds of our jobless youth are prone to vices like alcoholism, which is prevalent in our area. There is a liquor shop in the neighbouring Marheen village.”

He added, “While we are unaware of severe drug abuse like Chitta (heroin) consumption within our village, there are reports of such activities in neighboring regions like Kathua and Samba, raising concerns about the potential trafficking of narcotics here.”

“Unfortunately, we lack access to any drug de-addiction facilities in our vicinity, exacerbating the issue,” he said.

Fear of Speaking

While many speak about their multiple woes and challenges, some hesitate to say anything.

A Gujjar youth, fearing backlash from the government said, “if I tell you anything it will be censored and won’t get published”. Another man from the community declined comments fearing action.
Apart from frustration over deepening unemployment while living in an insecure zone, the border villagers also rue the lack of development.

Development Projects & Villagers’ Skepticism

A man in the village alleged that while the government is constructing roads for army connectivity near the Indo-Pak border, the road within the village premises remains in shambles despite the government sanctioning more than 60 crore rupees for its construction. Even after two years, the condition of the road inside Kadyala and Gujjar Chak villages is deplorable.

“The road has been under construction for two years. Our educated children are now idle as they didn’t have any jobs earlier,” a villager stated.

During a visit, it was observed that the village road was being macadamized with fresh tar, and machines were being used to clear the earth for road construction, which was in a dilapidated state.

However, as the villagers of Gujjar Chak began to speak about the road construction for frontier villages and their precarious experiences, concerns were raised about the quality of work, lack of proper drainage systems to protect houses from waterlogging, and dereliction in the overall execution.

The road, being constructed under the Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) with a package of 45 crore rupees, was handed over to the GREF (General Reserve Engineer Force) for further construction. The District Development Commissioner, Karan Kumar Atri, informed that the road construction was being transitioned from a 60-meter-wide PMGSY project to an 80-meter-wide road under the GREF’s supervision.

Villagers expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of proper drainage systems.

Ashwini, a resident of Gujjar Chak, said, “The drain being built here along the roadside will merge with a drain that is 200 meters away from here. On this side, they didn’t make a drain near our house, and the rainwater will enter our homes and fields during downpours. I have been asking the road contractor to connect the two drains, but they said they won’t make way for the drain. My house is two inches down from the road’s level, and the water will run into my residence. Nobody is listening; they are making the road as per their mood.”

Another villager mentioned that Rs 45 crores sanctioned for the 14-kilometre road seemed excessive, considering the inclusion of three small bridges. He expressed concerns about potential corruption and shoddy work, stating, “The road that is being made is of no good because it is uneven at many places, and its height is 2-3 inches elevated right abutting the houses of the villages, which could lead to waterlogging during incessant rains and can damage their property, crops.”

Additionally, the villagers expressed skepticism about the promises made by former Home Minister Rajnath Singh in 2018 regarding the construction of 14,460 bunkers, including 13,029 individual and 1,431 community bunkers, and the allocation of 5 Marlas of land for each household. They questioned the disproportionate amount of money spent on some of the bunkers that were constructed.

Between Darkness & Resilience

As one traverses these villages, the echoes of shattered glass mingle with the laughter of children, a poignant reminder of the delicate balance between life and death that these border dwellers navigate daily. The dilapidated bunkers stand as silent witnesses to the unfulfilled promises of successive governments, their crumbling walls a metaphor for the crumbling hopes of those who seek refuge within.

Yet, amidst the despair, there is a flicker of defiance, a refusal to surrender to the forces that seek to extinguish their spirit. Like the indomitable blades of grass that push through the cracks in the concrete, the people of Kadyala and Gujjar Chak cling to the belief that a better tomorrow is possible, a future where the thunder of shelling is replaced by the laughter of children at play.

As the sun sets over these border villages, casting long shadows across the barren fields, one cannot help but wonder if the light of hope will ever break through the darkness that envelops these forgotten corners of humanity. For now, the resilience of the border dwellers remains their sole beacon, a flickering flame that refuses to be extinguished by the winds of adversity.

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