shariq's blog: Blogger: User Profile: shariq012

Kulali, Marah villagers’ exemplary feat
Shariq Majeed
Tribune News Service

Poonch, May 5
Ill-treat those who feed you. This is what militants did to villagers till the victims rose against them and handed them over to the Army.

After facing ill treatment at the hands of those whom the people of Kulali and Marah fed, the villagers with the support of the Army succeeded in freeing themselves from the clutches of the militants and now they are living a dignified life.

A member of the village defence committee keeps a vigil in Marah village in the Hill Kaka area of Surankote. Photo by the writer

Remembering the old days, Muhammad Bashir, a resident of Marah village, says, “About six years ago, our area was considered to be a ‘liberated zone’ by militants who used to come to our homes for food. For the fear of being killed, we used to feed them. But despite this, they used to beat us and even show disrespect towards our women”.

“Fed up by the harassment, we finally gathered courage to inform the Army. An operation was launched to flush out the militants who had even built fortified structures here. We heaved a sigh of relief after the success of the operation”.

Interestingly, these villages form an important area of the famous Hill Kaka area where the Army with the support of local villagers few years back carried “Operation Sarp Vinash” to liberate this area from the control of the militants. More than 150 militants were killed in the operation.

“Few years back, when the Army launched ‘Operation Sarp Vinash’ in our area, we actively supported them by providing information about the militants, which brought us on their hit-list. After the operation was over, we received training from the Army and the police to operate weapons, which helped us in foiling militant attacks a number of times," says a woman who has received special arms training.

“We are now competent enough to foil the evil designs of the militants. We won’t allow them to occupy our land again”.

A senior police officer told The Tribune that the villagers of Kulali Marah showed their love for the nation by supporting the Army. He said there were 278 persons who were part of the village defence committee formed to safeguard the villages from militants.