A day after Havildar Roshan Lal was killed in shelling by Pakistani forces in Rajouri , his grieving father, Desraj, 85, and younger brother, Darshan Lal, at Nichla village in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir Monday. (Express Photo: Arun Sharma)
Waiting to receive bodies of their sons felled by Pakistani bullets, people in two villages of neighbouring Samba and Kathua districts of Jammu region of the state had a message for the Central government on Monday: either engage Pakistan in dialogue, or engage it in a full-fledged war to get lasting peace in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Akhir kab tak hamarey bacchey border par shaheed hotey rahengey? Yeh ek purana masla hai…yeh masla khatam hona chahiye aur iskey liye sirf do hi rastey hein: ya aap baat karo, ya jang lado’’ (How long will our children die on the border? This is an old issue and there are only two ways to solve it: either hold talks or go for war),” said Desraj Prasher, 84, whose eldest son, Havildar Roshan Lal, was among the four Indian soldiers killed in Pakistani shelling along the LoC in Rajouri district’s Bhimber Gali sector on Sunday.
His nephew Sanjay Sunny said, “We know that war is no solution to any issue, but what has been going on between the two countries at present is also not leading us anywhere. They (Pakistani troops) fire; we (Indian soldiers) retaliate. In this process, our children are being killed.” He said a war will at least give people a feeling that Pakistan has been taught a lesson.
With a population of 300, Nichla village, in Samba district, has more than 40 soldiers. Havildar Roshan Lal, 42, who became the first soldier from the village to die on duty, is survived by wife Asha Devi, son Abhinandan, 15, and daughter Artika, 13. Abhinandan said his father had called home on Saturday night, asking about his preparations for Class X Boards.
Some 40 km away at Mukandpur, in adjoining Kathua, locals waited to receive the body of Rifleman Subham Singh (23). Worried about the upcoming wedding of his elder sisters Arti and Sushma, Subham had seen to it that construction of their house was completed before he left for Rajouri on January 28 after one-month leave, his brother Rajat (19) said.
Rajat said the government should either hold dialogue with Pakistan or go to war.
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- سبحان احمدFeb 6, 2018 at 3:30 pmHahaha...who will talk to Pakistan...madr chood Mr 56" has no bhosddaa to dare pakistanReply
Ramesh NittoorFeb 6, 2018 at 4:08 pmSubhan Ahmed, Your vulgarity is not Pakistaniyat. But never mind, your confused anger being the source of this vulgarity, it can be safely ignored. Expect one day the melody and goodness inherent in you shall shine one day like a radiant moon. You asked who will talk to Pakistan? It is not a talk between two leaders, but two societies, between two nations with tragically divided histories. India took the secular and lawful route, and has been able to unite people for her advancement, even while Pakistan is a drag on her advancement. In secular India all are religions are safe, and the reality of this statement is what the conversation between two societies about. So get real, figure out real India! Once you get to know real India, yes the leader with 56 inches chest, who gave India the Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas credo, who is received well all over the world, and yet had the humility to touch the feet of a Pakistani mother, shall do so.Reply
- Feb 6, 2018 at 12:46 pmYou deserve that!Reply
- Sahib SinghFeb 6, 2018 at 12:25 pmWe salute your son. And we solute you too Sir. Being the father of a soldier who just gave his life for the country, you deserve utmost respect. We respect you even more because of your brave and wise words, you said, "Talk to Pakistan" before you said, "Or go to war". Having just lost a child and still proposing to talk, you Sir, are a special human being. May God be with you through this most difficult period in your life and always.Reply
- Mohammad DarFeb 6, 2018 at 11:45 amYour choice , take a pick, leave Kashmir or vanish, as hind crime of hinduism racism by faith never existed in the land of human equality, Kashmir, the Province Islamic Republic of Pakistan.Reply
- Patnam UmamaheshwaranFeb 6, 2018 at 1:27 pmF off ... crush PakistanReply
- Ramesh NittoorFeb 6, 2018 at 8:49 amIndia being 7 times more powerful than Pakistan in conventional weaponry, with superior precision and reach, inflicts far greater toll on Pakistan. However, given the strategic calculus of China, Pakistan can afford to send endless supply of brainwashed Islamic militants, LIW may continue for decades. This stalemate can be broken only if secular credential of India is found credible by Pakistani elite and the trust in Indian democracy makes their deep state to take risks to distance a bit from China and open up to India. The irreversible risk of doing so is quite high for them, so the initial resistance shall be very high. However, this rational step shall cut human losses and shore up their economy, hence forces within their society to do so would also be quite powerful. The challenge is to convince Pakistan that India shall give a fair deal to Pakistan. This trust Mahatma had once evoked, and it is still doable.Reply
- Mohammad DarFeb 6, 2018 at 11:48 amTrust a snake , before trusting a hindu scorpion, with habit to sting, by his hindu filthy nature, hungry or not.Reply
- Patnam UmamaheshwaranFeb 6, 2018 at 1:29 pmI respect all religion .. not mad mad character whose name is Muslim .. But real Khafir who preach nonsense ..only way crush and cripple Pakistan and make it colony of India
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