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Features & Articles
Bloody line that divides blood relations
Article written by Ishfaq-ul-Hassan
Kindred spirits torn apart, lives that are shattered not just by
the violence and terrorist strikes but by silent pain and anguish
of those who unable to reach their loved ones living in Pakistan
Occupied Kashmir (PoK). In this age of the great thaw which seems
to characterize dialogue with Pakistan, it is ironical that Kashmiris
separated by this Line of Control continue to suffer incessantly.
For Sakeena, the hour of reckoning came three years ago when her
father, Khwaja Ali Mohammad died in Lahore. He had migrated to Pakistan
Occupied Kashmir (PoK), joined the government services in 1947,
and then shifted to Lahore, where he established his own business.
Sakeena shivers as she recalls that painful moment when she received
the news of her fathers death. Her grief was compounded manifold
when she was denied permission to travel to Pakistan to have a last
glimpse of her dear father. This insensitive move caused her deep
anguish, touching her innermost core. An anguish shared by her entire
family, yet an anguish which remains the reality of many such divided
families in Kashmir.
Hajiras life is another testimony to the painful reality of the
valley. There was such a vacuum left in her life when her son, Ali
Mohammad Bhatt migrated to PoK in 1947, that she became almost insane
with grief. All these long years passed leaving Hajira praying for
the day when she could set her eyes on her beloved son. Unfortunately
that was not to be. With his name on her lips, her feeble eyes searching
for the familiar face, she breathed her last carrying with her the
unfulfilled yearning of meeting her prodigal son.
The tragic tale does not end with Hajira but remained a continuing
tale of woe for the family. Very recently, the son, Ali Mohamed
Bhatt passed away in Karachi leaving behind a wife and daughter.
Now they are living in isolation there, cut off from the rest of
his family. How they are bearing up with the loss without family
support is a question they can only ask Allah. The powers that however
are unconcerned with these human frailities, a fall out of their
policies. Several attempts by Bhatss relatives to visit Pakistan
have been thwarted in endless conditionalities and procedures, which
hamper rather than open up travel and interchange.
The chequered history of Sakeenas family too speaks the story of
the beautiful and troubled land they inhabit. Sakeena was just a
small child when her father migrated to Pakistan. Back in the seventies,
they mangaged to meet him and during this phase, the father arranged
for his daughters marriage with Mohammad Basher, his nephew.
However this happy phase did not last. Travel to and from Pakistan
became increasingly difficult from 1989 onwards, when the situation
in Kashmir became turbulent. Getting visa became cumbersome. The
restriction on border checkpoints made things even more complicated
and intimidating for common people wanting to reunite and bond with
their loved ones.
It is ironical that as the world is witnesses to immense technological
developments that connect people across the globe, the Kashmiris
continue to struggle and live in darkness, being denied vital means
of communication.
Mohammad Bashir chafes at the fact that while the world has become
a global village, Kashmir is being forced into a primitive age.
The authorities have imposed a ban on phones to Pakistan, since
the turmoil started, and then the facility was totally withdrawn,
completely cutting off the communication between the people. The
decision had political motives, in the process oppressing the common
people, who are bearing the brunt, says Mohammad Bashir.
These families symbolize the deeper dimensions of the conflict in
Kashmir, which destroys the very bonds on which all of society rests
and scars human beings, sometimes permanently by denying them the
simple joys of life. There is no doubt that an attempt is being
made by the various groups in the Valley and at the level of the
governments itself to find a mutually satisfactory solution.
Swinging between hope and despair, frustrations and aspirations,
the people of Kashmir are avidly watching the developments on the
political front and their attention is pinned on the forthcoming
high-level summit between Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the General
Parvez Musharaf. How these discussions and policy matters will translate
into a reality is what remains to be seen. For the divided families
across the bloody line known as Loc, the success of the political
process between India and Pakistan simply means that their Hajiras
or Sakeenas need not suffer anymore and the joy of uniting with
their brethren will be theirs in the coming years.
This article is part of series of writings facilitated by Charkha
Sanjoy Ghose Fellowship for Peace and Development 2003-2004
Please make the payments in favor of
Charkha
Development Communication Network
G 15/ 11-12, Malviya Nagar
New Delhi 110017
charkha@bol.net.in
CHARKHA FEATURE
LAST UPDATED ON October 2004
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