Summary Life is normal in bordering villages on Pakistani side.
LAHORE (Web Desk) – “Electricity”….. this was Baba Karamat’s response when he was asked whether he is facing any problem living so close to the border.
“Mosquitoes don’t let me sleep properly, the government should just end the loadshedding,” complained the grinning 69-year-old man without even showing a sign of nervousness on his face amid simmering tensions between Pakistan and India along the border.
“We are not worried at all, however we have heard some announcements from temples from other side of the border to evacuate villages,” stated Baba Karamat.
News of cross-border firing and LoC ceasefire violations by India are making rounds in the media as tensions escalate between Pakistan and India over the Kashmir issue. Last week, India initiated a diplomatic drive to isolate Pakistan after blaming it for the September 18 attack on the Indian army camp in Uri town of Occupied Kashmir which killed 18 Indian soldiers - a claim which Pakistan has repeatedly rejected.
Larger-scale evacuations were organised in India’s Punjab state where thousands of people were being moved away from the heavily secured border. But there was no sign of fear in Pakistan’s Aichogal Village near Zero Line, the international boundary between the two countries.
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Tariq, a farmer who was driving tractor in the fields for potato cultivation, looked much convinced because his two crops were already prepared and was happy to see rice supply reaching his stock. For now, his thoughts were just circulating around potato production.
Close by, paddy harvesting activities were in full swing while some women were collecting remains in the plastic bags.
Someone looked worried for his cattle’s fodder while some raced against the time to reach markets before sunset.
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Situation on the other side of the fence was much different… complete silence.
India has evacuated 10,000 villagers from its border with Pakistan last week amid fears of military reprisal for overhyped ‘surgical strikes’.
In the middle of the border, there is shrine of Syed Ghulab Shah al-maroof Pir Sanjha where urs was organised in August which was attended by people from both sides.
Authorities had ploughed the land along the fence only to track footprints the next morning. Most of the time, smugglers are caught due to their footprints.
Another natural factor that contributes to the ‘border defence system‘ is a bird called Red Wattled Lapwing also referred to as ‘Tetoli’ by locals. They say if anyone moves in the fields at night, these birds make noise, alerting the border security forces.
ARMED FORCES FULLY PREPARED
“This international border is not a joke. Even a slight belligerence could trigger war. Enemy is deceitful, thus, we are fully alert,” a security official told on the condition of anonymity.
With this hullabaloo they are just trying to divert everyone’s attention from Kashmir issue, he added.
He said there is no chance of war but Pakistani forces are fully prepared.
“Enemy is aware of our power,” the security official asserted.
This article originally appeared on Roznama Dunya.
