In the wake of the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, refugees from the 1971 Indo-Pak war, now residing in Gujarat’s Kutch district, have voiced strong condemnation of the incident and expressed full solidarity with the Indian Armed Forces.
Residents of villages near the India-Pakistan border, many of whom served or have family members who served in the Border Security Force (BSF) and other armed units, have stated they are prepared to assist security forces if tensions escalate.
Chota Bhanji, a resident of Tharparkar village and a 1971 war refugee, emphasized the need to empower ex-servicemen:
“The people who are living here and are retired from the army should be given a gun licence. There are a lot of people like that… people who were in BSF, in other forces, who have been trained and are now retired. If we give them weapons, it would be good… we are anyway with the armed forces.”
He added that while the situation in their village is currently calm, they remain vigilant and ready to support the Army and police if needed.
“We had come here after the Indo-Pak war, the Hindu people… War has happened 2-3 times before. But people believe in themselves now. Our soldiers are trained, and even when we came here, the government gave us land and jobs in border forces too,” Bhanji added.
There are reportedly 14 settlement villages in the region, with thousands of 1971 war refugees who have since been granted Indian citizenship.
Another resident, Khetaram Ojha, echoed similar sentiments and denounced the Pahalgam attack.
“We migrated here to India after the 1971 Indo-Pak war… The thing which has happened (Pahalgam attack) is very bad, it should not happen. Our enemy country has been sending terrorists… Our country, India, has changed now.”
Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the armed forces, Ojha said,
“India is capable now… there is full confidence in our armed forces and our Prime Minister… He has given a free hand to them and our forces are very capable. We are at the border, but we are also alert and ready to support the forces.”
The sentiments come amid rising security concerns following the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives and has been described as one of the deadliest attacks since the 2019 Pulwama bombing.
On April 29, PM Modi chaired a high-level meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Anil Chauhan, the three service chiefs, and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
Sources confirmed that PM Modi expressed full faith in the Armed Forces, granting them “complete operational freedom” to determine India’s response — including mode, targets, and timing.
The enduring patriotism of the Kutch border villagers, many of whom arrived as refugees more than five decades ago, highlights the deep-rooted loyalty of India’s frontier communities as the country navigates renewed security challenges.