We, living in the plains of the country have never realized the agonies of our own countrymen, living near the international borders. Just imagine the plight of the undivided North-Western India which had been facing attacks from foreign countries since Alexander came. It is a historical truth that they faced killings and loot from the Huns, Arabs, Persians, Mongols, Turks, Muslims etc. These marauders plundered the areas upto Delhi. The local population has been suffering since then. The situation has not changed even after the Independence.
The Sikhs, who came to J@K from Pakistan in 1947/48, have yet not been given the state subject status. The villagers in Jammu region located adjacent to the LOC in particular, not only lose their near and dear but even their animal wealth in cross-firing from Pakistan. The entire Hindu population was displaced. The people on both sides badly miss their kith and kin due to strained relation between both the countries. Worse is the condition of people who are living in hundreds of small islands on Indo-Bangladesh borders. Unfortunately, even their citizenship remains undecided. The areas like J@k where terrorists get infiltrated, the innocent citizens undergo untold miseries. Even their womenfolk are not safe.
In this backdrop, a story from Arunachal Pradesh will prove interesting.One Claude Arpi, an expert on Tibetan affairs, is doing some research work on the controversial McMahon Line. In course of this project, he visited a famous village of Arunachal Pradesh named Menchuka which is only 50 km inside the LAC. There are several people who even today remember how in 1962, the Chinese armymen would tell them to be friends of China as their nose, eyes, skin texture etc are like the Chinese. Still they are happy to be in India. He met the village headman who is aged 101. When Arpi enquired about his wishes, the headman wanted his message to be conveyed to the Prime Minister. His twin wishes are opening of the border so that he could meet his relatives and permission to import Tibetan yaks as the original breed is disappearing in his state. Is he asking for the moon?
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