In villages bordering Pakistan, Punjab farmers say ‘things are normal’: ‘nation comes first’

Ravi Dhingra, a 70-year-old farmer from Mohammad Peera village in Fazilka — located at the last edge of the border — said he has witnessed the 1965, 1971, and 1999 Kargil wars with Pakistan. “During Kargil, 55 acres of my land were used for landmines, and we couldn’t farm for nearly a year. But right now, things are normal. We’ve received no special directions from the Army or BSF.”

“We get daily calls from relatives abroad who worry about war, but here, we are living a normal life,” said Dhingra.

Parkash Singh, the former sarpanch of Hussainiwala village in Ferozepur, echoed similar views. “Our village has seen all wars. In 2016, after the surgical strikes in Jammu and Kashmir, when border villages were being vacated in October 2016, only women and children were shifted. We stayed back for our cattle and farms. We are always ready. Fauj de naal mode naal moda la ke khare haan (We stand shoulder to shoulder with the army).”

Other villagers said that during the Kargil War, any movement outside the villages required a signed slip from the sarpanch and clearance by the Army.

“Border life is different, but we are always prepared — nation comes first,” said Vikramjeet, from Pojoke Uttar village in the Ferozepur district.

Contrary to rumours of completing harvesting beyond the fence at the earliest, it is underway and nearly 80 per cent complete. Tarn Taran district officials confirmed that harvesting is progressing normally within the designated hours.

“No new instructions have been given so far,” said Amritpal, who owns land in Ferozepur’s Guru-Har-Sahai.

Farmers cultivating land beyond the fence also face several other challenges, including labour shortages due to limited entry hours, restrictions on crop height and irrigation systems, frequent crop damage by wild animals crossing over from Pakistan and several others. They said they can’t check their crops during floods, hail, storms or other weather adversaries.