Over two hundred and twenty (220) villages, which are within zero to five kms (0 to 5 kms) distance from borders, have been affected by ongoing cross border firing in Jammu Province, officials said.
“These villages fall in shortest firing range, have been “directly targeted” and “badly” affected in Pak firing and shelling since the ‘Surgical Strikes’ were carried out by India inside Pakistani territory on September 29”, official sources informed.
Sources said that around 22,000 people from these villages have taken shelter in the relief camps, while others are living in the homes of their relatives and other places. They informed that the border people who have migrated are still putting up in relief camps, and are “apprehensive” and “reluctant” to return back to their homes.
“The people who have migrated from the border villages due to shelling after the Surgical Strikes, are still putting up in the relief camps set up by the government like in schools, community halls, temples etc, and apprehending shelling from across the border, they are reluctant to go back to their homes,” sources further informed.
“Although, some male members do return to their homes situated along borders during the day time to take care of their fields and livestock, but they return back to the relief camps later in the evening,” DC Samba, Sheetal Nanda, and DC Rajouri, Shabir Bhat told Kashmir Post. The officials also said that the number of border migrants keeps varying depending upon the intensity of firing. “The shelling in one area triggers migration elsewhere,” they added. The number of migrants’ piles up the moment there is firing or shelling in any area along the borders, they said.
Out of the five border districts of Jammu region including Rajouri, Poonch, Jammu, Samba and Kathua, Jammu has more than hundred villages which are situated within a distance of 0 to 5 kms from border.
As per figures, Poonch has the second highest number with 49 villages situated within 0 to 5 kms of border, Kathua has 20 such villages, Rajouri has around 22 such villages, while Samba has more than 30 villages which have been directly targeted by Pakistan after the Surgical Strikes.
