The recent flare-up between India and Pakistan has once again highlighted the grim reality faced by civilians living along our volatile frontiers. While the guns have fallen silent for now, the aftermath continues to reverberate through the lives of those in border areas of Jammu, Poonch, Rajouri, Ferozepur, and Jaisalmer. Homes have been reduced to rubble, livestock lost, livelihoods destroyed ~ and families are left to pick up the pieces, often alone. As per official estimates, 17 civilians were killed during the four-day exchange of missiles, drones, and heavy shelling.

Hundreds were evacuated under emergency protocols, only to return to shattered homes and fractured routines. Roofs are gone, walls cracked, fields scorched. In many areas, families are now living in makeshift shelters, struggling to secure basic necessities like food and water. It is easy for the nation to express solidarity in times of crisis, but what comes after is where true accountability lies. The central and state governments must go beyond perfunctory damage assessments and announce a structured, transparent compensation package that adequately addresses the material and psychological trauma inflicted on these communities. Relief measures must not be piecemeal or delayed by red tape. Direct financial assistance, temporary housing, veterinary care for lost livestock, and access to medical and mental health services should be delivered swiftly and efficiently. Anything less would amount to institutional neglect. At the same time, a larger conversation is needed on long-term border resilience.

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These incidents are not anomalies; they are part of a long, painful pattern that stretches back decades. India’s border villages continue to serve as the frontline ~ not by choice, but by geography ~ and they deserve infrastructure and protection strategies befitting that status. Reinforced homes, better evacuation logistics, early warning systems, and secure shelters should be standard, not exceptional. There is also a moral obligation at stake. Citizens living in high-risk zones are no less Indian than those living in urban centres. Their suffering must not be normalised, nor should their sacrifice be viewed as the unavoidable cost of national security. The state owes them more ~ more protection, more planning, and more empathy. Rebuilding trust in government institutions is equally important. Too often, border residents feel neglected not only in times of crisis but also in periods of calm.

Their concerns over education, healthcare, connectivity, and employment are frequently overlooked in policymaking. A comprehensive border development plan ~ one that goes beyond military strategy and addresses civil infrastructure and economic opportunity ~ is essential. Empowering these communities will not only strengthen morale but also deepen their faith in the nation they help protect by proximity. Finally, peace must remain the ultimate goal. Ceasefires are welcome, but fragile. It is the border population that bears the heaviest burden of conflict. They deserve more than sympathy. They deserve action. It is time to turn policy promises into meaningful change ~ before the next round of fire renders more lives unlivable.