Village surrounded on 3 sides by Pakistan stays calm amid tensions

DAOKE (AMRITSAR): Daoke, an Amritsar village surrounded on three sides by Pakistan and connected to the rest of India by a narrow road, is cautious but not unnerved by the rising tensions between India and Pakistan.TOI visited the village on Thursday and found villagers huddling at large wooden tables, laughing and discussing local issues, while also commenting on what they perceive as the "media exaggeration" of the ongoing conflict.In another corner, a group chat cosily under a shaded tree, with a barbed wire fence stretching out behind them, beyond which lay Pakistan.While tending his fields, Kulwant Singh, a farmer, said if Pakistan blasts the single road connecting Daoke, they would be cut off from the rest of India and trapped. "But we are not running away. This is our home, and we trust the Indian Army to protect us," he said.Gurnam Singh, an elderly villager, said, "We've seen this before. In 1965, 1971 and during Operation Parakram, we were evacuated. The Army was everywhere, and you could feel the war coming.""Back then, there was palpable fear, and we had no choice but to leave. Today, though, life is different. There's no change in our routine. We still work on our fields, right next to Pakistan. The Army's presence is minimal, and we're just getting on with it," Gurnam added.Dharmender Singh, another villager, said the explosions heard in and around Amritsar on Wednesday night had been unnerving. "It was scary; for a moment, it felt like war was imminent," he said. "But we're not worried - not yet."This sentiment resonates across Daoke, a village of over 2,200 residents that shares a 9km border with Pakistan.Despite their outward calm, subtle signs of caution linger. Many families have sent their children to relatives in safer areas. "It's just a precaution. We don't discuss it openly, but we want the children to be safe," said Kulwant. Reflecting on the past, Gurdev Singh, a resident of nearby Mahawa village, recalled the military presence during the 1971 war, when tanks rolled through fields and fighter jets filled the skies. "Today, the tension feels more subtle - almost invisible - but no less real. The Army has advanced technology now, and though we can't always see them, we trust they have things under control," he remarked.Sukha Singh, 71, a resident of neighbouring border village of Neshta, recalls the 1965 war, noting how media was limited to radios. "Now, with constant updates on phones, it's more confusing than helpful," he said.