The day Indian Army jawan, Aurangzeb was
abducted, and his bullet ridden body was recovered in Pulwama district we were
travelling from Leh to Jammu. Incidentally, on the same day, Journalist Shujaat
Bukhari who strongly supported Track-II diplomacy with Pakistan was killed in the broad day light at Srinagar. Three unidentified gunmen opened fire on the
editor of Rising Kashmir and his two security personnel killing all of them.
This event not only marked return of terror to the valley completely but brazen
killing of a civilian and a peacenik stoked new fears among the valley
residents. The twin terror attacks on the last day of Ramzan raised a tumultuous
furore over government’s decision of announcing cessation of operations against
the Pakistan reared militants in the Valley.
In our three-day long stay in the Ladakh region,
there was never a moment of intimidation nor did we experience an iota of fear
among the people. People from various religious backgrounds lived in absolute
harmony. Dominated by Buddhists and Shia Muslims, Leh, the largest city in the
Ladakh region has big Jama Masjid, built by Buddhist Kings to appease the
Mughals. Thriving on the massive boost given to tourism by the government,
Ladakh district has thus far been most peaceful. Historical records even cite
examples of great religious harmony with instances of Buddhist Kings marrying
Muslims and vice-versa. As we moved away from Ladakh district people warned us
to be on guard. A Buddhist shopkeeper living in the bordering areas of Ladakh
and Kargil district confided that in the past 25 years, the region experienced a sea-change. Till early 1990s both Tibetan Buddhists and Muslims used to live in
harmony. But over the years, fissures began to widen in the society along the
religious lines. While interfaith marriages were totally unheard of, he said
Muslims refused to partake food or even water from Buddhists and slowly the
rifts between both the religious groups began to widen. He then lamented about
the growing militancy in the region, till then it didn’t dawn upon us that we
will be travelling through Kashmir valley on an Eid Friday. Just the thought of
Friday prayers and attacks on army convoys by stone pelters gave us a fright.
Notwithstanding these fears and the visuals
frequently broadcast on television, we decided to halt for an overnight stay at
Kargil. Chest-swelled in pride at the thought of famous Kargil war, where Indian
soldiers gave befitting reply to treacherous Pakistan. Our palpable enthusiasm
to be in the famous Kargil city, was soon dampened by a wily policeman, who deliberately mislead about the entrance to the city. As a result we were forced to drive a dreary 8km long secluded hilly stretch through dark alleys to reenter the town. Even before we could recover from the incident, as we entered the
city to check into a hotel referred by someone, we felt intimated by the huge
numbers of men thronging the streets. The moment we halted our car before the
hotel, literally thousands of eyes began to peep us and follow us. Just the
feeling of being of watched by hundreds of people gave us a chill. Reluctant to
step out of the car, my husband unwillingly, went to survey the hotel. Within
minutes he returned, jumped into driver’s seat and sped the car away from
crowded market place. Desperate to find a night shelter, he stopped at yet
another hotel which was brightly lit, but as he entered the hotel lobby area, a
haunted feeling began to engulf him. Soon, we drove hurriedly towards the
Srinagar highway in a hope of finding a better place for a night stay.
Fortunately, we managed to find along the banks of Suru (Indus) river.
In the morning, when we switched on news channel,
we were shell-shocked to know about the twin terror incidents that rocked the
valley.
Being Friday morning, despite our strong desire
to visit to Kargil memorial, with last night’s intimidating scenes still
afresh, we decided to move away from the main city. Even the hotel owner
announced that being Eid eve, cafeteria would be closed by 8am. We checked out
before 8am and drove towards Hunderman, a non-descript village nestled amidst
craggy Kargil peaks, 10 km from the city. We stopped near the village, when the
local guide suggested to look at the perching hilly peaks with a binocular.
Nearly all the overlooking peaks housed small Indian army camps guarding the
heights from perfidious Pakistanis. Even distant Pakistani villages lying in
the valley can be seen with a binocular. Hunderman village extends into the
valley and has lush green cultivated farm lands by Suru riverside. The unique
history of this less-known village began to make waves due to the concerted
efforts of Ilyas Ansari, who had historical roots to the place since 2015. With
the help from Roots Collective, a local NGO from Ladakh, Ansari set up a
museum, “Unlock Hunderman-Museum of Memories”. The With an intention of
restoring the cultural identity of village, which has been part of both
countries people intensified efforts to develop the museum to unravel and
treasure identities of the place. We
couldn’t visit the Museum that housed a rare collection of war artefacts and
other relics reflecting the cultural uniqueness of the place as it was closed
for Eid.
From 1948 to 1971, the village claimed by
Pakistan became part of India after 1971 Gilgit-Baltistan war, and the
residents were immediately bestowed with Indian citizenship. Located along the
mountain peaks of the LoC (Line of Control) and extending into Suru valley, the
village has suffered brunt of four wars and constantly endures unending border
skirmishes. After 1971 war, most of the villagers have left for Pakistan. Few
resident villagers who stayed back in India worked as porters for Indian Army, which
in turn supported their livelihoods through various initiatives. Parts of the
village are vacant and wears a ghost village look termed as Hunderman Brok. As per local version, the village was
believed to be part of the Silk route that ran through Kargil. Alternate
theories suggest that local Brokpa community as direct descendants of abandoned
Alexander Army. Efforts are now on to revive the long-forgotten stories of the
inhabitants who were separated by partition and wars. The war-ridden village
still houses several bunkers which protects the inmates from biting cold and
harsh heat. Besides Hunderman Brok, villages which have become part of India
are- Turtuk, Tyakshi, Chalunkha and Thang. Loss of these villages in the Turtuk
block and Siachen Glacier in 1984 has dented the strategic advantage of
Pakistan. The Turtuk block is part of the Nubra valley which separates Ladakh
from Karakoram mountain ranges.
Hunderman Village
Some reports indicate that in early 1980’s
before Indian gained control over Siachen Glacier, Pakistan which had militant
camps set up in Gilgit region used the route to infiltrate terrorists into the
peaceful Ladakh region, to reach the Kashmir valley. Though people of Gilgit
region resisted efforts of Pakistan army to establish militant camps, capture
of Siachen Glacier and Turtuk block had successfully blocked ISI efforts to
send militants through this route. But some strategist experts opine that since
the region changed hands between two countries, the people in the Nubra valley
are still confused about their identities and loyalties. Most of these people
are now soft-targets of ISI agents, who are often bribed and lured to act as
their agents to facilitate their nefarious activities. But Indian Army outreach
programs in the Turtuk block have helped confused people to shun their
Pakistani identities. After crossing the Hunderman village, the last village
close to LoC, we chanced to visit a small army camp and peeked into their
bunkers.
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