A visit by this correspondent to some of the areas falling in proximity of the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector on Friday revealed there is no major disruption or panic among the residents. The marketplaces were open, public and private transport plying as usual, and schools did not have a single disruption in the recent days. The locals call the small arms firing from across the border that continued the eighth night straight Friday and the response of the Indian troops to the ceasefire violations by Pakistan as “safety fire”.
[The Indian Army on Friday said that during the night of 1-2 May, Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked small arms firing from posts across the LoC opposite Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Naushera, and Akhnoor areas of J&K. It added that the Indian Army troops responded in a calibrated and proportionate manner and that no casualties or material damage were reported]
However, several border dwellers who spoke with Deccan Chronicle (AA desk may change it to The Asian) said they preferred peace and were wary of escalation. Some hoped better sense will prevail, and both India and Pakistan will realize that war would severely strain their resources and devastate their populations.
A few were optimistic about the success of international calls for restraint, alongside diplomatic efforts aimed at preventing further escalation. “America inn ko jang nahi karney de ga (America will not allow them to fight a war),” said Ghulam Ahmed Malik of Lagama village whom this correspondent met in a restaurant here. Nazir Ahmed, who runs a tea kiosk at Sheeri Payeen along the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad Road believed Saudi Arabia rulers “who are very close to Modi and also Pakistani establishment” will ensure the two South-Asian neighbours refrain from participating actively in hostilities.
Interacting with Irshad Hussain Abbasi, a resident of Kamalkote, suggested his preference was entrusting the matter to the divine rather than the actions of the two governments. “Wahi hoga jo Khuda ko manzoor hoga (Only that will happen which has the permission of God),” he said, dismissing the notion that the two countries are on the brink of war as improbable.
The life in the Uri villages visited by this correspondent continues routinely and, despite the incidents of “safety fire” at a few places, there is no visible disruption to daily activities of the border dwellers. However, after being asked by the authorities to remain vigilant, they have cleaned and prepared the bunkers for use in the event of any eventuality. These household-level shelters and village-shared shelters capable of accommodating multiple families were constructed between zero to three kilometres from the LoC and International Border (IB) or Jammu-Sialkot border when the facing armies would, prior the two countries renewed the November 2003 ceasefire agreement in February 2021, routinely engage in skirmishes.
These low-intensity conflicts, often involving small-arms fire, artillery exchanges, or cross-border raids which had become a recurring feature since 2008 had significantly disrupted the lives of border residents and claimed hundreds of lives on both sides of the divide line -both civilians and security forces.
However, reports from across the LoC said that the families living in the areas close to the de facto border are apart from cleaning bunkers and stockpiling supplies as precautions.
As already reported by this newspaper the authorities had, in the backdrop of heightened tensions, put the entire J&K and parts of Ladakh on high security alert last week. Particularly the areas bordering with Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir have witnessed rapid security placements, an enhanced multi-faceted surveillance and improved coordination between various security agencies.
The authorities restricted the movements of non-locals in various areas falling in proximity to the LoC. The visits to the areas including Karnah, Keran, Machil, and the Bungus Valley in Kupwara district which with neighbouring Baramulla’s Kaman Post were witnessing a ‘border tourism’ boom for the past couple of years have been made subject to prior approval by the designated authorities.
Kaman Post in the Uri-Chakothi border corridor through which cross-LoC trade and travel would take place until these was suspended by the Union Home Ministry a few years ago figures in the list of 48 places declared closed for tourists by the authorities on Tuesday. Both security forces and civilian authorities refuse to speak on various steps taken amidst the heightening border tensions or the cross-border firing incidents.
Pertinently, the government on Thursday issued a stern advisory to media houses across J&K urging strict adherence to security protocols while reporting on ongoing operations in the border areas. The advisory issued by the Ministry of Defence on Thursday, a copy of which also lies with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), referred to a letter from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in which the media outlets were specifically directed not to broadcast real-time coverage, visuals, or source-based reporting related to counter-insurgency or security operations in the region.
“It has been noticed that some fake news is being proliferated by various media houses…the proliferation of unverified news leads to inadvertent assistance to hostile elements, lowers operational effectiveness and endangers the safety of personnel,” it said.
About the Author
