Post surgical strikes across PoK, border villages evacuated; schools to remain close

NAUSHEHRA VILLAGE (TARN TARAN): Punjab has started the process of evacuating nearly 1,000 villages in the six border districts of the state after Indian armed forces carried out surgical strikes across the Line of Control on Thursday. The affected villages are within 10 km of the India-Pakistan border in the districts of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Fazilka and Ferozepur.The authorities are making alternative arrangements for about 15 lakh people likely to be displaced in the six districts."We were informed about the tactical strike on Thursday morning after which we started the evacuation process," Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal said. "The Union home secretary has informed us of the possibility of retaliation. We have activated the state disaster management committee."Sources in the Army's Western Command said the evacuation was a precautionary measure. It was not that they had received specific information about a retaliatory strike from Pakistan but they are not ruling out mortar shelling from across the border. By afternoon, there was already a sense of urgency in the villages that TOI visited. As the granthi of Gurdwara Samadha Bhagat Jallan Das Ji told villagers to vacate their homes in Naushehra and Dhalla villages on the public address system, there was near panic as residents hurriedly bundled up their belongings and rushed to catch a bus. Most people were leaving for the homes of their relatives away from the border or were planning to take shelter in gurdwaras and temples in Amritsar and Tarn Taran."We have given residents two options," Badal added. "They can either shift to the homes of their relatives or they can stay at the camps we are setting up in schools and community centres. Police will be deployed in the evacuated villages to protect the belongings of the people. I have already given orders to cancel leaves of police personnel and medical staff." Gurnam Kaur, former block samiti member of Dhalla, who was leaving her village along with her son and daughter-in-law said, "It is advisable for the elderly and children to leave."Her eyes swollen with tears she added, "I am leaving behind paddy worth lakhs."Gurbir Singh who was shifting his household belongings in a tractor trolley said, "It is easy for the government to issue an advisory asking us to vacate the villages but we have to leave behind our entire lives." He said that during Operation Parakarm following the Parliament attack, his family had migrated to live with their relatives. "This causes several social issues within families. We have no way out but to migrate, our government should have made better arrangement."