Fenced out of native place, residents seek relief
Shariq Majeed
Tribune News Service

Qasba-LoC (Poonch), January 27
Every morning, Muhammad Din, his brother, Muhammad Kareem, and their wives, Hasham Bi and Haneefa, leave their house in a colony here, for their native village of Kerni on the other side of fence near the Line of Control (LOC). They go to their native village for farming and rearing their cattle there in the day, and return in the evening, leaving their cattle and property to the mercy of God.

It has been 10 years now that they have been following this routine of changing home twice a day. They take lunch in one home (on the other side of the fence) and dinner in their dwellings here.

“We have adapted ourselves to this routine. After crossing over the fence we do farming in our native village even rear our cattle. In the evening, we have to return leaving our cattle to fend for themselves since the Army doesn't allow us to stay there,” said Muhammad Din, who along with his brother Kareem cultivates about 50 kanals of land on the other side of the fence and has about six head of cattle.

"We wish to stay there but unless the government takes the matter with the Army authorities they won't allow us. We don't wish to change our homes twice a day and want to live in our own native place. Now that the new government is in place, we are hoping that it will take some steps in this direction”.

This is not an isolated case, there are about 150 families who had to migrate from their native village of Kerni to the colony in Qasba, and have the same story of sufferings and agony to share.

The villagers, who were natives of Kerni village on the other side of the fence just close to the Line Of Control (LoC), had to move to this side of the fence after 1998, due to shelling along the LoC.

The villagers, comprising around 150 families, were reportedly given financial aid by the government for constructing houses in this village. Ironically, these villagers, who are putting up in a colony in this area, have their houses in Kerni village.

A senior Army officer posted in the area admitted that these villagers were not allowed to stay in Kerni village due to security reasons. Defence sources, too, claimed that the safety of these villagers was the prime concern of the Army.