Punjab: Residents of border areas worried, citing looting in previous wars

Punjab: After the Pahalgam terror attack, residents of villages located on the India-Pakistan border fear a massive disruption in their lives if a war breaks out between the two countries. Recalling the horrors of past wars, several villagers said they had to leave their homes without security following military build-up along the border, leading to restrictions on movement and economic difficulties as well. Former sarpanch of Pakka village, 80-year-old Pragat Singh said that during the 1965 war, his family had suffered financial losses when they left their house unattended and moved to a relative’s house and their belongings were looted. During the 1971 India-Pakistan war, he along with some of his neighbours camped in the village to prevent a repeat of the previous experience while his family members moved to safer places.

Shamsher Singh, another resident of Pakka village, said they had moved to safer places after the Pulwama terror attack on a CRPF convoy in 2019. Paramjit Singh, a resident of Neshta village, condemned the statements of politicians, which he said were bringing the two neighbouring countries to the brink of another war. He recalled that the now-defunct Integrated Check-Post at the Attari-Wagah crossing between the two countries once directly employed over 1,400 porters and hundreds of truck drivers. Sukhchain Singh, a resident of Attari and a porter, said the Pahalgam terror attack was a despicable act and the culprits must be punished, but at the same time, the situation should not turn into a war. Rattan Singh Randhawa, president of the Seema Kshetra Sangharsh Samiti, said, “The Indo-Gangetic plain is one of the most populated areas in the world. Any conflict between the two neighbouring countries will have a devastating impact on the people, especially the poor.”