Beyond the Borders

By SANKAR RAJEEV

Abdul was born in a remote village bordering Pakistan and Iran. A poverty ridden area where the level of education was so low that most of the able bodied youth worked in the granite mines. Work was hectic but reasonably paying as per the national standards. It was unorganized labor on daily wages. He was the eldest male member of a family of seven children with father having left his mother for a young woman. His eldest sister was married off leaving the other four to the responsibility of the poor woman, and logically to him being the eldest male member. Slowly wanting to emerge out of the shackles of poverty, he invests money earned from the granitite mines in procuring buffaloes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Book rivers
• Release date: Sep 3, 2020
• ISBN: 9789389914160

Book preview

Beyond the Borders

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By

SANKAR RAJEEV

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Website:- www.bookrivers.com

Email:- [e-mail]

Mobile:- [phone]

Place:- Lucknow

Year:- 2020  

MRP:- 300/-

ISBN:- 978-93-89914-16-0 

Copyright©:- SANKAR RAJEEV

All Rights Reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted or stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

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DISCLAIMER

T

his is purely a work of fiction and all characters and events narrated are the imagination of the author. Inadvertently if it matches any living or dead or organisation or profession or theological practices and in any way relates to reality which may be completely different from the actuality is only coincidental. Certain names of places from professional knowledge and scientific terms which contributes to authenticity have been endorsed from bits and pieces available to improve and impart knowledge. The aim has been purely to eliminate incorrect analysis.

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Thank you God for giving me an opportunity to serve my country...

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PROLOGUE  

This is an opus of fiction. The story may appear to be a collage of analogous incidents which occurred in the northern sector of Jammu and Kashmir during nineties. There is a specious belief that the entire population across the border between India and Pakistan has hatred for each other and wants to fight and eliminate one another which is far from the truth. As the story unveils, the strategy followed by certain perpetrators of terror to capture uncertainty in the mind of youth with frivolous thoughts of hatred in the name of religion is realistically observed.

Militancy is Jammu and Kashmir is typical considering the cases of ideological conflict world all over. Here it is a condition wherein only few people of possibly from two districts of Kashmir valley with external support are essentially interested in these militant activities. The irony is that central government over the years publicizes that they put in lot of effort to support the requirements of people living in this area; either it does not reach the target population or they are not aware of such schemes. As reported by media compared to the status of people living across the border in say Muzzafrabad, Kilo etc., those who live in Uri or Kupwara have higher standards of living, but succumb to religious indoctrination and probably give clandestine support to militancy. It has been generally found that large majority of the militants who are engaged in these acts have been found to be mercenaries who take up the job for money. People from parts of Jammu, Udhampur, Ladak, North Kashmir, and Rajouri Sector including Poonch are generally not found interested in upsetting the normal life, but remain mute spectators caused by the fear of the unknown enemy. Another factor which is pertinent and less spoken is that unlike the Sikhs who stood firmly at their place and resisted militancy, the Kashmir Pundits chose the path to move to safer areas. It may not be out of place to indicate that a lobby works to continue the state of instability which comprises of the militant organizations and some interested people adequately supported by their handlers in Pakistan. In the name of religious persecution by India they get finance from foreign well-wishers who are not aware of the reality. Then you have the so called separatists who get their expenses paid by others sitting in their homes as well as receive other privileges from successive Governments, at the Centre and State. More than that the very existence of Pakistan Army is largely on the basis of this concept, hence they too have an interest in it. In case the Kashmir problem is solved probably many in the armed forces and government may lose employment opportunities.

Isn’t it surprising that a militancy of this nature without much of local support and generally confined to South Kashmir is not obliterated. For anyone watching the scene and examining the complexity no satisfactory answer can be found to this question. There are so many reasons but the most obvious is that unfortunately the strategy to counter the militancy is made by those who have not experienced the ground realities and comes up only in the numerous news channels generally attempting to beat around the bush. The fallacies of myopic politicians who for power make irresponsible statements are also a cause for its persistence. It is another case of ‘I am OK, you are OK’ or more appropriately, ‘I pat your back and you pat my back’. Hence sensing the tempo and motivation of certain militants caught or surrendered it is for certain that obliteration is possible with a three pronged action. As the theme of this fiction is not an analysis of militancy related strategy it is not being discussed any further. Needless to say both the countries, especially India can counter it more effectively by task based realistic approach. Indispensable concern is that millions of people in India and Pakistan are impoverished with complete absence of basic necessities and freedom. Hence the bigger question is that can these two countries afford to spend so much on maintaining a large standing army and import military equipment’s worth billions of dollars for a trivial conflict. Probably they cannot and should not. Instead the priority for the two countries should be to have a military as a deterrent and concentrate on welfare of citizens.

We call him by the name Abdul or in short Abdu. He was a medium built person with an eye for details. Unlike the high rise buildings we see in most of the cities of south Asian countries, his village was poverty ridden devoid of the rudimentary amenities for human habitat. Women have to go out in the open for ablution and often they are way laid on their privacy. There is absence of security because of which the moment the girl child is twelve or thirteen years, she is married off. With poor literacy standards, orthodox people they are lured by unintelligent interpretation of religious customs. Millions of orphans are generated by the arbitrariness of divorce. Children of such failed marriages are exploited and driven to desperation, and join militant outfits for basic survival.

Abdul was born in a remote village bordering Pakistan and Iran. A poverty ridden area where the level of education was so low that most of the able bodied youth worked in the granite mines. Work was hectic but reasonably paying as per the national standards. It was unorganized labor on daily wages. He was the eldest male member of a family of seven children with father having left his mother for a young woman. His eldest sister was married off leaving the other four to the responsibility of the poor woman, and logically to him being the eldest male member. Slowly wanting to emerge out of the shackles of poverty, he invests money earned from the granitite mines in procuring buffaloes. From the sale of milk was able to change the life style, marry four of his sisters with the elder one already married. His desire to be an entrepreneur was supported by a shepherd whom he meets accidently after a Friday prayer. Government had also chipped in some loan which he utilized for procuring sheep. While things were going fine, sheep he procured were infected with a disease and had to be culled. As a result of this and government paying no monetary compensation, he was on the verge of losing his house which was mortgaged to the bank as collateral security for the loan. He ran from pillar to post to save his house, and help was not forth coming. Hence he had no way out to save his family from embarrassment.

It was at this time he meets a cleric who offers a helping hand to free his house which was kept as a collateral security and family from debt. He had met the cleric on few occasions while attending to the Friday prayer at the village mosque. Enchanted by the latter’s oratory skill, he soon developed a liking and trust. The offer by the cleric appeared to be reasonable for Abdul. It meant that in return of the two hundred thousand rupees provided to him will have to work for two years for the cause of religion. Being struck between the devil and deep sea, Abdul actually had no choice. So he took the offer. There after he is subjected to religious indoctrination and training on various aspects which a militant should be expert at. The training was carried out at a remote location to keep away from the public glare.  On conclusion of training, tests of competence were taken which decided the fate of these people.

On successful completion and qualifying for the assigned task across the border with India an additional two hundred thousand rupees was promised to be paid to the family in the event the person stays across the border for two years and engages in militant activities. On the contrary in case he dies prematurely the money is given to the family and if successful in returning to his country after completion of the two year stay in India, having actively participated in militant activities, a lifelong job with pensioner benefits in the territorial force of the Government was provided or else he could volunteer for similar activities with other militant organization active world all over. Abdul successfully undergoes the training and tests of competence at each of these camps. At the conclusion of the training a live project is assigned to each of the volunteers with an independent mission on Indo-Pak border. This involved an engagement with Indian Army. Based on the success achieved, these volunteers were assigned tasks ranging from simple operations to suicide bombing. After successfully completing the assigned tasks, training and tests, Abdul was given the responsibility to strike on a target at the border outpost. He was successful in the attempt, but on the final mission while moving from launch pad to base camp at Lolab he was encircled by the Indian forces. Offer to surrender was provided to him which was refused and in the final combat succumbs to self-inflicted injury.

The inhuman activity carried out by militants on a combatant which has become a habitual practice has also been depicted. As per the established practice despite the fact that two of their soldiers were badly mutilated by the group, the body of the militant was properly handed over to the local police without any infringement and buried with full respects by the authorities in accordance with their national policy.

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Contents

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Chapter- 1

The Shepherd

This part of the world had a large expanse of uncultivated land and mostly rocky with granite. Mining for granite is the general source of income. Business men who employed the locals were from nearby cities. Locals were daily wagers and paid good as per the national standards. They had to accept these harsh conditions because most of them had a large family to look after. Early in the morning from their village on the outskirts of the city they are brought to the work site in an open truck. The way they are being transported is like the inhuman way animals are transported in this part of the world for slaughter. The only exception was that they are not tied to each other. Supervisor was from northern part of the country. Quite tall he looked ferocious by the way his moustache was curled up. Dressed up in the traditional dress he used to pass executive instructions. With him was the accountant, a person who was short in stature and sported spectacles. He also carried a big book which was bounded by a cloth cover and folded in to three overlaps.

As soon as the vehicle stopped at the work site, the Supervisor and Accountant got down from the front seat. Then instructions were given to the men loaded in the body of the truck.

Get down, do you expect your father to bring you down.  

When the supervisor saw one of them getting down slowly, he slapped him. His heavy hand fell on that man which such a force that the person almost collapsed. Without pity or remorse the next activity followed, which was scheduling people to various sites. Women are not permitted to work outside their home. There was no bathroom and people went out in the open. For water there were earthen pots kept which were filled by an old man.  Unlike most of the workers the supervisor never shouted at him. Before the commencement of work everyone gathered and this old man started the prayer for the day. All the workers followed him. On conclusion of it everyone was given two raw biscuits and a cup of salted tea. Happily securing it as a gift, people sat in their informal groups in a circle and relished it. Abdul took one out of the two biscuits provided to him and kept in the pocket of his dress. When his friend enquired he said it is for my mother. All of them finished tea quite fast fearing violent retort from the supervisor.

At the work site they were divided into groups of six. The composition was; one person placed explosives to break the rocks into convenient pieces who was also the leader of the group, another one with a drill to make holes in the mountain for placing explosives and the remaining people were employed for collecting and loading in the transport. Having felt the heavy hand of the supervisor which was on his ear lobes he was feeling quite imbalanced. If he would sit trying to recover from the pain his family consisting of six including mother would go hungry for that day. So without giving any consideration to the excruciating pain he went on placing the charges and exploding the rocks. Their work continued till noon at which time they were given twenty five minutes as lunch break. At this time the vehicle would come and give them two big baked ‘roti’s’ and an onion. Some people carried green chilly to add taste to the lunch. When you see them having food satisfaction which emerges out appears to be more than the pleasure of having a five course meal. From noon to evening they worked for another five hours. Once the job was over they assembled again and the old man gave religious sermons. This was followed by each of them being given the wages for the day which was approximately equivalent to three dollars. Happily the money received was tucked in to the pocket and the laborers were ready to move back home. Once that was done each of them had a feeling of being the richest man in the world. Next day they would once again start as paupers, which did not concern them or make them sad. After all with their money requirements of the houses are being fulfilled. They waited for the truck, which finally arrived. Like cattle they were in to the body of the truck and the supervisor sat in the front seat along with the accountant as before for commencement of the return journey.

When Abdul reached home his mother was expectedly waiting on the veranda. Seeing her son coming back she was quickly on to her feet. Picking up a mug of water from the bucket kept outside he washed his legs, hands and face. Feeling fresh he greeted his mother and presented the biscuit he saved for her. Then to his elder sister gave the money he earned, which she received happily with the hope that the family can sustain another day without hunger.  

Abdul had a large family which consisted of six children all but him and youngest one were girls. Three were elder to him, and were yet to be married due to poverty. Their father divorced his mother and went after a younger woman. When he was with them also they were deprived of food, because the money their father earned was wasted on gambling called ‘matka’. He had no other vices, but this was greater than all the evils the society had. Whenever he used to lose, which was a frequent affair there was commotion in the house which was followed by beating his wife. Then she would sit with the children and cry. In the end coaxed by the eldest one they would have whatever food which was left behind by their father. From the age of fourteen Abdul took on some job or the other and finally landed up in the granite mine. The job was tough, but then with no income the family was on to starvation, so he found satisfaction in the engagement.

That evening his mother Hanifa’ was quick to spot the redness over his ear lobes as a result of the thrashing by the supervisor, so asked

Aabdu, did you fall down somewhere?

He was quiet, and did not want to tell the truth and make her sad, so shook his head in approval. Then she continued

Son, be careful, you are the only one we have.

In the evening at about the time of ‘prayer’, the family got together and offered their prayers. Unlike the five times advocated possibly that was all they could manage, which in no way was disrespect to the almighty but out of compulsion. Abdul had three siblings elder to him and two following him. At present he was the lone earning member of the house and little bit chipped in by his sisters who did carpet weaving and mending dresses. The only one in school was the youngest child. He studied in a school run by the religious organization. They gave two meals to the children which was the main motivation for children from poor families to attend classes. Their education was on the interpretation of the religious text and after that little bit of other subjects. There was a lone teacher who was also the cleric. Afternoon time was utilized by the school to employ the children in the large expanse of land the school had, which was used for cultivation. Product from the farm and some amount of charity by the society kept the school and its schemes going on. Priority for the government was the other two provinces, so not much funds were allotted as schemes to develop this particular region. More over the government had thought that the people in general were not completely loyal to the cause of their nation. Largely these areas remain low in development and barely sustained.

After the meal they all sat around the food prepared by the eldest a charismatic girl. At the present stage the family could not think about her marriage. With the absence of their father that effort also had to come from Abdul who had no respite from the activities at the mines. Having filled their stomach all of them joined for clearing the kitchen and cleaning the utensils. Once that was over came around to the large hall which was the only room they had and slept together.

As usual in the morning he woke up at five. Since his earlier ambition was to join the Army though not fulfilled as he did not qualify in the height category, took on to some regular exercise early in the morning as a habit. Then freshened himself and moved to the village center waiting for the arrival of the truck to reach the work site. While standing there he had lot many thoughts coming in his mind. Finally the wait was over and his friend joined him. He had a plan to get his sister married to his friend, but hesitated being in no position to arrange the funds. For this purpose from daily wages had ensured a small saving which when appreciated would give adequate money for the marriage expenses and was waiting for that time to originate the proposal. He always thought that having come across so far the almighty will find a way for his family. The routine that followed was not too different from that of the previous day except that the supervisor was not in an offensive mood. He was not using abusive language. The work continued as usual and during the lunch break they were given good news that during the next ‘Ramzan’ season a bonus of one hundred dollars would be given. All the workers including Abdul had made plans for that amount in anticipation. Having finished the work they returned to the respective area.

Next day was Friday and as usual an off day. He had to go to the mosque wherein spend quite a while explaining the needs and reasoning to the almighty as to why his family requires constant support and guidance. Supported by a philanthropist there was lunch in the proffer after the prayers. Unfortunately women were not permitted otherwise his entire family could have spared a meal. Return journey to his home was five kilometers walk, which was fine for him.

During this walk he came across a shepherd who was resting on the wayside allowing the animals to feed in the open ground by the side of the road. There was a dog which guarded the sheep so he had no anxiety.  With curiosity he sat beside the shepherd, who was in no mood to accept the intruder into his permanent place of rest. Abdul understood the possessiveness and sat in such a way that he was not an interference to his relaxation. After an hour or so, the shepherd, looked up from his reclined position and asked where are you from? to which he gave his details. Finding that he was not a competitor engaged in a conversation.

From the conversation he found that earlier the shepherd was a daily wage laborer and was constantly shifting from one work site to another. After sometime, found an opportunity to get a loan from the government and bought the sheep. To start with he had only thirty, which has now grown to two hundred in a period of five years. He also has three buffalos which he indicated pointing to them and milk from the buffalos looked after the daily expenditure of the family. Now was on the lookout for another one to make the number to four.  The wool from the sheep gave him money for his future expansion of buying more of these animals. To Abdul, the enterprising attitude looked very attractive, so made it a point to meet him during the next Friday prayers and get more details of the scheme. Patiently waiting for the next Friday he worked with zeal for another week. Thereon he always dreamt of securing a loan and pursuing the path shown by the shepherd.

The terrain in this particular part of the country is devoid of vegetation compared to the rest of that part of the world. Another distinguishing feature is constant neglect by one government after another has made it still look like any village of the mediaeval times. Houses plastered with cement were rare to find and most of them like his house were made of stones and plastered with clay. The layout of the house was specially made to cater for the sandstorms which are a frequent occurrence in the area. There was absence of proper sanitation and streets were littered with filth. The shops were few and those which had business monopolized and looted the villagers. A semblance of order may be seen at the military post where sometimes a vehicle in sand color with a military insignia passed by on its way further to the border.  Due to the constant harassment by the security forces, whenever a military vehicle is seen people seldom came out of their houses.

As the constant thought of meeting the shepherd remained in his mind at the worksite, often he was found absent minded. He woke up only when his coworker, a person slightly elder in age reminded him the sensitivity of handling explosives. He initially came as a picker at a tender age of fourteen, but having worked two years sincerely was trained in using dynamite for cutting the granite rocks. At that time he fancied the job because from the village he was the only one working at such an age. Seeing him many have joined, but that was later. During this time he gained the confidence of the people and became an expert in the use of dynamite. As activities of sabotage happen in this part of the world with outfits targeting security forces vehicles, use of explosives was restricted.

Wait for Abdul was over. During the next Friday and as usual he was at the mosque. Usually at the scheduled time the head of the mosque does not appear but that day was different and was in the fore front. He speculated the reason for the presence but could not come to any conclusion. After the prayers all had assembled at the open area where sweetened curd milk was in the offering. There was a public address system which was placed on the platform which indicated that probably before lunch some eminent person knowledgeable in Islamic thoughts would address the gathering. Soon people were escorted to the ground where they were made to sit. Thereafter a person attired in the dress of a religious teacher gave speech on the righteous way of life and duty in the service of the almighty. It went on to state that the soul will remain immortal when an individual sacrifices his life for the cause of the religion and otherwise goes to hell. Further he was explaining the need for moral values. Then he touched upon the sinful life followed by the western world and other countries. Finally when it was over the Abdul was feeling extremely hungry, because compared to the normal days lunch would be over, it was already two O’clock