Fear grips Punjab border districts after Operation Sindoor placed on hold
Amritsar: A month after India launched
Operation Sindoor
in response to the April 22 Pahalgam massacre, fear still hangs heavy over Punjab's border villages, even though the govt claims the military action is now "on hold".
Residents in the districts adjoining the Pakistan border report a lingering anxiety — rooted not just in the conflict itself but in its unresolved status. In villages near Attari and Tarn Taran, life remains suspended in caution. The spectre of Pakistani drones, which violated Indian airspace previously, continues to haunt daily routines. "Even though life is returning to normal slowly, there are still nights we can't sleep," said Dharmander Singh, a farmer near Attari.
"Every unfamiliar sound makes me think a drone is approaching."
That fear deepens at dusk, prompting many to stay indoors. "We used to hear of ceasefires in Jammu and Kashmir. Now it's our villages on edge," said Manjinder Singh of Naushehra Dhalla. While officials say the cross-border operation has been paused, locals say ambiguity has only heightened their sense of insecurity. "The govt says it's on hold. But what does that really mean for us?" asked Shivani Gupta of Amritsar.
The Border Security Force (BSF) has permitted farmers to return to their fields beyond the border fence, with Kisan Guards accompanying them for protection. Yet many remain reluctant. "I have land to till, but every step feels like a risk," said Manjinder Singh. "Who will protect us if something happens?"
Economic and diplomatic activity remains sluggish. The Kartarpur Corridor remains closed, trade with Afghanistan has yet to resume, and while Pakistan allowed a stranded Afghan truck to deliver goods into India recently, regular passenger traffic is still suspended. For Punjab's border residents, uncertainty — not gunfire — remains the most unsettling part of the aftermath.
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