Zojila under fire

The road was but a dirt track with big boulders lying around. The view was breathtaking but between Muzammil8217;s grumbling and attempts to overtake stallion trucks carrying ammunition for troops, I could not enjoy it much. 8220;Hey buddy, just enjoy the view. Look, we are driving above the clouds,8221; I tried to ease the tension. We were driving so high that puffs of clouds were floating alongthe mountains below us.

We negotiated Zojila in relative silence. By the time we reached Gumri, the first army camp after Zojila, it was after sundown which in these parts was around 8 pm. Our identity cards were checked. 8220;Do not switch on your lights. The enemy can see the lights and fire. You are going at your own risk,8221; an officer cautioned.

In this treacherous terrain, the driver took over. But after about an hour8217;s nerve-wracking driving 8212; through Mughalpura and Meenamarg 8212; he gave up at Pandrass. 8220;Listen buddy. I8217;ll run ahead of the car on the right side. You do the same on the left. The driver can make out our silhouettes and drive between us.8221; The driver shook his head. I could almost see him weep in despair. He wanted to sleep, but suddenly we heard a loud swoosh above our heads and seconds later a deafening thud as a powerful bomb landed somewhere close. The momentary flash was almost blinding. This settled it.

With little high altitude acclimatisation, Moozy and I started joggingahead of the car. Bombs fell close. They were scary but we kept on. Soon we were panting. We saw a house and expected some soldiers to be around. 8220;Saab-saab,8221; I shouted. No response. We shouted again 8212; half scared, expecting some soldier to just shoot at the sound. Then we caught our breath and drove on. The driver could see a little better and we sat inside.

8220;I8217;m switching on the light,8221; the driver shouted in sheer exasperation a little later. 8220;No! You are not,8221; I shouted louder but my new found buddy joined him. We were crossing the Drass market. It had been less than five seconds when a shell fell close to the car, its splinters hitting the pavement and iron shutters of shops, piercing them deafeningly.

I jumped out of the car and fled to the nearest wall. Moments later Muzammil followed. 8220;All your fault,8221; I screamed. 8220;Now get that driver.8221; Two more shells whistled past and fell close by with a loud thud. It was now close to 11 pm. The policemen, half clothed, fast asleep, jumped out oftheir beds and sprinted into the bunkers.

Moozy and I had been talking seconds earlier but now he whispered as if scared to attract the attention of a passing shell. And then another shell fell. Muzammil screamed. In pain. A splinter hit him. But not directly. It probably hit the ground, then a rock, a tree, the police station wall and ricochetted, hitting him in the small of his back.

The whole night he was in pain. I tried massaging his back. He stayed with me in Kargil for another week but at times cried into his pillow at night because of the pain. 8220;Okay buddy. Go down to Srinagar and get proper treatment,8221; I advised him one morning. He went but after saying he was glad we had travelled that night as the next morning the army clamped down on journalists and on our second trip to Kargil we were the last ones in.