The fear front

Normal human life presupposes an absence of fear but for the communities living near the India-Pakistan border, trauma and trepidation ha...

Normal human life presupposes an absence of fear but for the communities living near the India-Pakistan border, trauma and trepidation have become their everyday companions. Every time the pounding of shells reaches their ears, every time military convoys pass their way, life seems that much more uncertain.

And the evidence is there for all to see. Ever since India responded militarily to Pakistan8217;s perfidious attempts to alter the Line of Control, many villages along the border, both in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, have witnessed a fairly widespread exodus of people in search of safety. Often there are outbreaks of panic which only adds to the prevailing chaos.

There are an estimated 23,000 persons, living at and in the vicinity of Kargil, Dras and Batalik sectors, who have been officially recognised as homeless. Undoubtedly, they are the worst affected but unfortunately they are not the only ones affected. Recent reports from villages in the Khem Karan, Attari and Chhamb-Jaurian sectors too seem toindicate a great sense of popular disquiet. These are, after all, people who have lived on the edge of uncertainty all their lives. They have witnessed war break out in the region twice over in the last 35 years and they have little cause to hope that things will be any different this time around. But theirs might just as well be a cry in the wilderness. The local administration in these areas is either unwilling or incapable of addressing their fears. For instance, even though many villages in Amritsar and Gurdaspur have thinned out in the face of the latest hostilities, no official order has been passed asking people to either stay where they are or move to safer environs. They are not taken into confidence about unscheduled military manoeuvres. While it is nobody8217;s case to argue that the army must make known its every movement to local communities, there must at least be some attempt to reassure people and build their confidence in such trying conditions. Otherwise it could lead to large-scale panic whichis even more difficult to manage. On Saturday night, an unscheduled military exercise by the army brought Jammu8217;s inhabitants on the streets, convinced that a full-fledged war had indeed broken out. This kind of response could have been anticipated and prevented with a little foresight and administrative acumen.

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, in his recent visit to Kargil, did talk at some length on the plight of the uprooted and bereft people of the region. He assured them that no effort or expense will be spared to ensure their safety and return to normalcy. Now it is time to follow up on the Prime Minister8217;s words. Every effort must be made to see that rehabilitation and support programmes are undertaken by the local administrators with the necessary energy and empathy. The idea of nominating a nodal officer to oversee relief work is a good one, but such an office must be made totally accountable to the people for whom it is meant.