Indian villages at LOC prepare bunkers

NEW DELHI: As tensions intensify between India and Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack, life at the remote border villages of Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir has once again taken a turn as ‘Modi bunkers’ are back in the picture.

Tensions along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district have increased and border villagers are preparing their underground bunkers.

This marks a stark reminder of the volatility that once depicted their daily life. These bunkers are popularly known as “Modi bunkers” and are stacked with essentials like blankets and bedding as people over there braces for the worst.

The residents of Salotri and Karmarha located near Pakistani military posts, are now clearing and restocking their bunkers with important supplies as they take a precautionary measure. A resident of Karmarha village told ANI,

“The people had forgotten the bunkers. The bunkers are being cleaned again now. There is an atmosphere of fear, but we hope harmony will prevail in the valley.”

‘Modi bunkers’ are underground bunkers, built under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s second tenure. They were part of a major government initiative to increase the safety of residents. The Modi government extended financial and technical aid for building individual and community bunkers in such high-risk areas.

The government initially sanctioned 14,460 bunkers across five districts including Jammu, Kathua, Samba, Poonch, and Rajouri — with an additional 4,000 later approved to cover more vulnerable populations.

Following Pahalgam terror attack, The Resistance Front (TRF) that claimed the responsibility for the attack, retracted from its statement, saying any attribution of the attack to them was “false” and “hasty.”

In a related development, Maharashtra minister Yogesh Kadam on Saturday said 5,000 Pakistani nationals are residing in the state, including 1,000 on short term visas who have been asked to leave the country as per the Centre’s directives. Some are residing in India since the last 8-10 years, some are married and some are those who have surrendered their Pakistani passport and applied for Indian citizenship, he said.

Meanwhile, at a time when the Centre has cancelled the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) visa of Pakistani nationals in India, 30 long-term visa (LTV) holders staying in Kolkata — and another 37 across the state — are reportedly under renewed scrutiny.

Following the terror attack in Pahalgam, the Indian government sent directives to the states to ensure that all Pakistani nationals here — even on long-term visas — followed all guidelines.

Even as Kolkata Police did not confirm the exact number of SVES visa holders in Kolkata, or whether anyone has been sent back, it issued a statement on Saturday saying they were following “all instructions according to the rules of the land”. Additionally, fresh verifications of 67 Pakistani nationals residing in the state on long-term visas have started.

The authorities are scrutinising their contacts across the border and the areas visited by them in the recent past.

Back in the city, the RPO sent a list to the Kolkata Police’s Security Control containing comprehensive details, including passport numbers of Pakistanis who entered India on visas.

The SCO has started tracking them based on this list. They are verifying whether these individuals are engaged in the activities they claimed when obtaining their visas and whether the addresses mentioned on paper tally with those on the ground.

Separately, the Border Security Force (BSF) has asked villagers near the zero line, including those from Rouda Wala Khurd in Amritsar, to harvest their standing crops within two days.

An announcement was made at a Gurdwara Sahib in the village, informing farmers about the directive. According to local villager and Sarpanch Tarsem Singh, the community stands firmly with the BSF.

“We are with the BSF. Whatever they say, we’ll follow,” he said, highlighting the villagers’ commitment to supporting national security efforts.