Separated during Partition, Indian man reunites with family in Pakistan

Pakistan had earlier issued visa to 77-year-old Sikka and allowed him to meet his 80-year-old brother in Kartarpur


Asif Mehmood March 26, 2022
The 77-year-old was warmly welcomed by his elder brother Muhammad Siddique and other members of the family upon his arrival. PHOTO: EXPRESS

LAHORE:

Indian citizen Sikka Khan alias Habib who had separated from his family at the time of Partition, arrived in the country via Wagah Border on Saturday.

The 77-year-old was warmly welcomed by his elder brother Muhammad Siddique and other members of the family upon his arrival at the other side of the border.

In 1947, he had stayed behind in India with his mother while his father, elder brother and other members of the family had left for Pakistan.

In January this year, 80-year-old Siddique, resident of Bogra on the outskirts of Faisalabad, met his brother who got separated during the Partition.

According to him, two days before the independence of Pakistan, his mother went to visit his parents in Indian Punjab with his younger brother Habib who was only a few months old.

Also read: Pakistan issues visa to Indian man separated from brother during Partition

After the Partition, Siddique kept waiting for his mother to return but she didn't. But now, after 74 years, he finally reunited with his younger brother Sikka, who lived in the Indian city of Bathinda.

Earlier, Muhammad Bashir from Narowal had also met his close friend Sardar Gopal Singh. Both were separated during the Partition in 1947.

They used to communicate with each other via social media but a meeting could not take place. However, after the opening of the Kartarpur corridor, the friends decided to meet.

At present, Sardar Gopal Singh is 94 years old and Muhammad Bashir is 91 years old. According to Gopal, the two friends used to come to the Gurdwara Sahib and play together for hours.

In November 2021, a man met his nephew who got separated during the Partition. Humayun came from Faisalabad and his nephew Muhammad Bashir arrived at the corridor from an Indian village named Taran.

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