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The pain of separation

By Luv Puri

Rajouri June 8. The restoration of road links between India and Pakistan may provide relief to the many divided families, but the numerous villages along the 740 km Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir have little to gain by it.

The tale of the population living close to the LoC is far different from that in other parts of the State. Their families have been divided by the LoC. Poor and illiterate, daily survival is an ordeal for them. The LoC had not only divided many families but also villages such as Turkundi, Dandote, Purkhoni.

Till a decade ago, villagers on the Indian side of the LoC, used to cross over to buy essential commodities and similar was the story of the people on the other side.

Militancy in the Valley had its impact and the families had to sever almost all contact with their relatives on with the other side.

The post-militancy period offered little scope for maintaining relations as illegal movement across the LoC spelt death. Intense shelling from the Pakistan side resulted in people fleeing from villages such as Jhangar and Lam. The rural folk either crossed over or moved to the interior parts of the State. "The last decade has separated us from our blood relatives. How can we be indifferent to our relatives on the other side?", asks Mohammad Afzal, who had migrated from a frontier village and now at the Dar Gunoo camp. The security personnel however are firm about not permitting any movement across the LoC. There was no fuss about the illegal movement earlier. But as the belt became infamous for infiltration, security had to be tightened, says a senior Army officer. While the possibility of free movement again appears remote, there are innumerable ways to enter PoK from this border area.

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