A High-Stakes Journey: The Kashmir Defense Tour Begins
The Kashmir Defense Tour of our group of six journalists from Mumbai began at the extremely ‘hot’ posts of Rajouri-Poonch, Baramulla, Kupwara, and Uri in Jammu and Kashmir. As soon as we stepped off the Indian Air Force’s C-17 helicopter in Baramulla, military officers informed us, “The enemy has seen you coming here… now you are directly in their line of fire.” When terrorism was at its peak in the Kashmir Valley, much like today, the Ministry of Defence had entrusted our group with a large Indian Air Force helicopter for a whole week from Jammu itself, allowing us to explore every nook and corner of Jammu and Kashmir, including Srinagar. Now, as heavy firing continues along the borders with Pakistan after the Pahalgam terrorist attack, I am reminded of my visit to the forward areas of Kashmir 30 years ago as a Defence Correspondent for ‘Navbharat Times’. The serial reports of this tour were published on the front pages of all editions of ‘Navbharat Times’ in seven installments, which generated widespread national discussion in those days, and BBC India quoted from my reports in its programs. Presented here is an account of those terrifying nights spent in army bunkers on the border three decades ago. The situation is not much different even today.
A Harrowing First Encounter: “You Are Now in Their Line of Fire”
To the left and right, a rain of bullets from heavy machine guns whizzed past, where even a momentary raising of the head meant certain death. The opportunity to spend a night with the brave soldiers in such a bunker is very rare. Our team of seven select journalists was thrilled to have this chance. It was a memorable day in our lives.
Life in the Trenches: A Night in a Forward Border Post
A six-by-six space where it was difficult to even stretch one’s legs to lie down, a tin roof, the sky above blazing with heat, incessant rain and snowfall lasting for days, cold that dropped to 36 degrees below zero, every kind of scarcity, and maddening solitude – in such conditions, these soldiers stand guard for twenty hours at a stretch to protect the borders, without any reward or expectation, like self-exiled prisoners. And this is their daily routine – without a break or respite, for years on end. In fact, the night we were in the bunker, the barrage of bullets from Pakistani posts was so intense that the company commander had to come and warn, “Boys, be careful.” The next morning, as we returned after visiting another forward post, Mala Post, a message awaited us – about the ‘casualty’ from the previous night.
The Harsh Reality of Border Protection: Sacrifice and Solitude
Not only in the Rajouri-Poonch sector of the Jammu region, but also in the extremely ‘hot’ posts of Baramulla, Kupwara, and Uri in the Kashmir Valley, we were greeted by showers of bullets from across the Bhimber Gali whenever we went there on four occasions. In Uri, a soldier of ours, guarding just two hundred meters away, was pierced by these bullets. This thrilling experience began as soon as we stepped off the Indian Air Force’s C-17 helicopter in Baramulla with the information that ‘the enemy has seen you coming here, and now you are directly in their line of fire.’
Surviving the Line of Fire: The Brutality of Cross-Border Firing
Peaks thousands of feet high, sheer mountain ascents, and narrow, snow-covered paths. How would they evacuate someone if they got shot in such a place? “It’s a very difficult task,” Colonel N. S. Kaushal told us, “We have to wait for nightfall. Then our own soldiers bring them down. Sometimes the villagers also help a little.” Helicopters would make this work a bit easier, but the problem is that in many places the mountains are so steep that it’s difficult for helicopters to land and ‘balance’. Moreover, as soon as Pakistani helicopters see them, they start firing like fanatics. Sometimes, it takes hours and even days just to bring a badly wounded and writhing soldier, kept alive only by first aid, to a road accessible by vehicles. Then begins the journey to the nearest hospital, which is sometimes a hundred or two hundred kilometers away. In such situations, most of the injured soldiers often die on the way.
A Thin Line Between Life and Death: The Fight for Survival
We often recall the night spent in the Baramulla infantry mess, when the telephone bells in the adjacent room, separated by wooden partitions and occupied by a young officer, would ring every hour, carrying news of a wounded soldier’s agonizing journey. This soldier’s chest had been ripped open by a bullet fired from across the border. This soldier also did not reach the hospital alive.
The Vigilant Soldiers: Watching Over Kashmir’s Border
Just three posts before the last command post in Rajouri, right in front of this border outpost, lie the villages of Balakot and Nikial in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. A little further is the town of Moka Sharif. Kahuta and Islamabad are also only tens and hundreds of kilometers away. Every movement of the villagers is clear, and the call to prayer from the mosque is distinctly audible. All around are hills, and between them flows the shared Jhelum River, sometimes thick, sometimes thin. The distance between the villages on both sides is only a few kilometers. Many families in these villages have relatives living across the border. There are matrimonial ties, so the exchange of visits, keeping a watchful eye, continues. Colonel Mukesh Sethi told us, “We have photographs of every man in the villages. We even keep a count of every animal.” This caution is necessary due to incidents of infiltration. Sometimes entire families cross over to the other side of the border. However, this number has decreased in the last two years. This year, the figure has stood at just three, and in fact, it has now started to reverse. In 1995, five such families even returned.
Infiltration Attempts and the Ongoing Battle for Control
While navigating through the uneven, rocky, and pointed paths, ducking our heads to avoid bullets in the ‘communication trench’, we could continuously see the leaping flames of fire accompanied by the ‘thwack-thwack’ sounds from the river valley below. In between, there were flashes of light. “This is para-illuminating,” the company commander told us. Para-illuminating means lighting up the pitch darkness to aim targets. With the ‘night vision device’ available at the post, we could clearly see the area in front. Villages lay in deep sleep under a blanket of light, their existence only hinted at by the twinkling bulbs. A large light would sometimes turn on and sometimes off. Somewhere there, a training center for militants was operating. There are 18 such centers in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir area adjacent to Rajouri-Poonch.
Keeping the Peace Amidst Adversity: Communities at the Border
From this outpost built on a high ground, the entire city can be monitored. L.M.G., H.M.G., mortars, even cannons. “But we don’t need cannons,” the company commander told us. It is common for 200-300 rounds of firing to occur daily from the other side. While we were at the post, 150 rounds were fired. In response, we fired 35 rounds. Lieutenant General Bhullar explains, “Wasting ammunition is not our policy.” The figures confirmed his statement. In 1995, Pakistan fired 9.36 lakh rounds, while we fired 4.66 lakh. The figures for 1996 so far are 5.44 lakh and 1.1 lakh rounds respectively. The logic behind the Pakistani soldiers wasting such a large amount of ammunition is incomprehensible. In Uri alone, the Pakistani army wastes 2000 rounds of bullets daily. According to Colonel Kaushal, “Perhaps it’s for psychological reasons.” This is used as cover while pushing militants across. The fact that militants use their posts to launch their rockets is also not hidden from anyone.
The Psychological Warfare: Understanding Pakistan’s Firing Tactics
The northern sector of the country is perhaps the most heavily guarded region in the world, where Pakistan has deployed 80 thousand to a lakh soldiers. Dense forests, towering peaks, gaping ravines, poor roads, weak communication, and nights shrouded in curfew. For thousands of kilometers, the disputed border line divides villages on imaginary and unreal grounds. Generally, the public has no interest in any jihad.
Guarding the Northern Frontier: A Strategic and Dangerous Role
In the Rajouri-Poonch region, the Hindu and Muslim populations are almost equal. There is also a significant number of Gujjars and Sikhs. Even in this difficult environment, communal discord has not entered here. Due to the scarcity of arable land, animal husbandry and labor are the main sources of employment here. The 12-15 thousand feet high Pir Panjal range stands as an impenetrable natural wall between here and the Kashmir Valley, hence the people here have a closer proximity to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir compared to the Valley. All the passes of the mountain range close down due to snowfall until May 15th, making it very difficult to maintain relations with the Valley. Perhaps due to these reasons, the intensity of terror is less here compared to the Valley, yet in the last six months, there have been at least 20 infiltration attempts, and 20 militants have lost their lives. A peculiar thing about Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is that the rural settlements are very close to the border outposts, and the fields are adjacent to them. The military officers told us, “This requires us to exercise special caution during retaliatory firing.” The height of the mountains from Akhnoor to Siachen is not uniform, so whoever is at a higher altitude has an advantage. It is difficult to aim when the sun is directly in front of the eyes. Therefore, as the sun goes down, the rattling of bullets begins, which sometimes continues throughout the night.
The Relentless Assault: Daily Struggles on the Kashmir Border
Beyond the ‘Weak Bridge’ in Uri, no public vehicle goes. Perhaps this is because it is within the enemy’s firing range. A deserted gurdwara is visible on the heights. Near the Kamlesh Bridge below, some men with beards looked suspicious a while ago. Obviously, we ourselves are now targets of the terrorists. A message has been relayed on the wireless, “No further, return.” A bullet from that side has felled a soldier standing guard. We are returning, this thrill will remain for many days, which we have just experienced.
