On Line Zero

Mule Kot village is India8217;s first line of defence against Pakistan. Here, guns and barbed fences intrude as tactlessly as the enemy

FIFTY yards. That8217;s all it takes to walk up to the barbed fence along the international border between India and Pakistan. But Jasbir Singh, a 40-year-old farmer, instinctively looks at the clock every time he has to do that. His fields run along the fence and the rules are as clearly etched out as the border: the day lasts for 12 hours. For the rest of the time8212;6 p.m. to 6 a.m.8212;villagers of Mule Kot, a village near the Attari Border, are confined to their homes.

8220;Even if I am awake at, say, 5 a.m., I can not step out of my home to get to my fields. The BSF Border Security Force jawans shoo us away. So I toss and turn in bed till the clock strikes 6,8221; said Jasbir Singh.
This is the village that witnessed fierce fighting during the 1965 and 1971 wars between India and Pakistan. And this is the village that is India8217;s first line of defence against Pakistan8212;a community of 40 families into which guns, soldiers and barbed fences intrude as tactlessly as the enemy. The fence came up in 1990 to ward off terrorists who sneaked into India from Pakistan. In 1965, residents fled as Pakistani troops marched in and in the 1971 war, the village remained in Pakistan for many months as the two countries sat across the table, discussing a ceasefire.

8220;I still remember the 1971 war with Pakistan. We had to flee with our animals and whatever we could salvage from our homes. When we came back, nothing was left. Even the trees were uprooted, not to mention the doors, window and animals,8221; said Inderjit Kaur, another resident. 8220;It is very difficult to live here. The children have no future in this village. They walk four kilometers to get to the school in Bachiwind village. But we are poor. Where else do we go?8221;

Kaur8217;s children also have to be careful about playing near the high-voltage fence. Snaking through the wheat fields, the fence runs along three sides of the village. That leaves a 12-feet-wide road8212;the only one that connects the village to the rest of the country.
Veero, another villager, gets agitated at the mention of the daily curfew. 8220;Leave aside war, life is hellish even during times of peace. It8217;s anything but normal. We cannot move around and are confined to our homes. We have no privacy and can8217;t do anything without the BSF jawans prying on us.8221; Rant over, it takes Veero less than a minute to calm down. 8220;I know the jawans are doing their duty and are here to protect us. But I think they take their job too seriously8212;they do not even tolerate a dog8217;s bark near the fence. At night, we have to keep our doors shut and turn off the lights,8221; she said.

The trouble starts when some of the animals stray during 8220;wrong hours8221;. 8220;Many animals8212;buffaloes, cows and goats8212;go missing because we cannot follow them when they run away at night. And we cannot sleep on the roof tops during summers because the jawans say it8217;s too dangerous,8221; said Bua Singh, sarpanch of the village.
If nothing could be worse than being under constant curfew, Mule Kot is deprived of the basics8212;the village has no primary health centre, no school and drinking water has always been a problem. 8220;If someone falls ill, the patient is taken in a bullock cart or rickshaw to the nearest village. With no bus service, the residents have to walk to Bachiwind to board a vehicle to reach the nearby market of Attari, about 12 kilometers away. 8220;Electricity is erratic and when it trips, it takes days before it is set right. The only road that takes us out of the village is in bad shape,8221; said another resident.

Villagers also complain that the border cuts off their lands. Bua Singh says three acres of his uncle8217;s land lie beyond the fence, which is metres inside the Indian territory. 8220;Hundreds of acres lie on the other side. Passes are issued for farmers to cross the fence during the restricted hours but it8217;s not sufficient to take care of the crops,8221; he said.

Amritsar Deputy Commissioner K.S. Pannu says he is aware of the problems but there is nothing that can be done about the curfew. Mule Kot understands that8212;it8217;s a fine border between life and livelihood.