We woke up in panic, can sleep peacefully now: Punjab residents welcome ceasefire
Since Indian Army's 'Op Sindoor' early on Wednesday, Punjab, both its bustling cities and border towns, was in the thick of the storm.
The state, which shares over 500 km of its border with Pakistan had started witnessing a storm of drone attacks on Thursday night and since then the residents lived in fear amid blackouts.
Heera Sodhi, former Punjab State Information Commissioner and a resident from Ferozepur, said, 'Punjab vaste bhot vadiya hoya… (It is a very good thing for Punjab…). We suffer the most as we are a border state. But I'm happy that India took a strong and aggressive stand against terrorism and clearly sent out the message that we will not tolerate nonsense anymore. Though most drones were neutralised, on Friday night, three people were injured in Ferozepur.'
In Ferozepur's Tindiwala, the last village on the zero line, Parkash Singh was crying tears of joy. 'Aj khushi di gal hai… (Today is a matter of happiness). Our families had to be split because of the war-like situation. We had sent women and children to our relatives, now we will get them back tomorrow. Jung kisse da vi bhala nahi kardi… jung sade te thopi jaandi hai… (War never benefits anyone… war is always forced upon us as we live on the border),' he says, adding that he has now decided to build a house far away from the border.
In Ludhiana, Pankaj Sharma, president of Association of Trade and Industrial Undertakings, says he felt proud of the Indian Army but also sighed relief. 'The way India managed the crisis is commendable. A prolonged war would have severely impacted the economy. We salute our PM for giving the armed forces a free hand and ensuring a decisive victory.'
Badish Jindal, president of All Industries and Trade Forum, says that in the last 3 days, many migrant workers left Ludhiana fearing war. 'But now, with the ceasefire, I believe they will return. If the war had continued, Punjab's industry would have collapsed. We were already feeling the pressure due to the exodus of the workforce,' he says.
Barnala-based government teacher Nirmal Singh Thikriwala reflected on the collective psyche. 'Saturday morning, we woke up panicked. Thank God, we can now sleep peacefully. But I'm disappointed that instead of understanding the hardships of our armed forces, many people were making reels and memes of the situation,' he says.
Bathinda-based Dr Vittul K Gupta congratulated the Indian Army for teaching Pakistan a lesson by destroying their terror camps.
Meanwhile, officiating Jathedar of Akal Takht Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj welcomed the ceasefire.
'From the beginning, I have believed that war should not break out between the two nations,' he said, adding that he had performed Ardas before Guru Sahib at Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib in Sri Anandpur Sahib on Friday.
Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar, while welcoming the ceasefire, said, 'India has made it clear that aiding and abetting terrorism will not be tolerated. Under PM Narendra Modi's leadership, India reaffirmed its commitment to global peace while delivering a strong message that cross-border terrorism is unacceptable.'
He also proposed a special economic package for Punjab to compensate for disruption to trade and business. 'Given Punjab's frontline position, we've always borne the brunt of such conflicts—be it in terms of life or livelihoods. This package is essential to help us recover,' he said, adding that the proposal was supported by Governor Gulab Chand Kataria and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
As calm returns to Punjab, the state stands both wounded and resilient—grateful for peace, but painfully aware of the cost it so often bears for being on the frontline.
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