Indian man reunites with Pakistan-based nephew after 75 years
Recently, the Indo-Pak border witnessed a historic reunion when 92-year-old Sarwan Singh from Punjab met his 81-year-old nephew Mohan Singh from Pakistan for the first time in 75 years. As they met at Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, Singh immediately hugged his nephew, now called Abdul Khaliq having been raised by a Muslim family over the border. Khaliq went missing during the 1947 communal riots.
Similar incident of cross-border reunion
In another case of a long-lost and found relative, a Mumbai woman missing for 20 years was recently found alive in Pakistan. Two YouTubers from both sides of the border helped her reconnect with family in India, paving way for her to return home.
Singh and Khaliq spent four hours together
Some members of both their families were present during the reunion on Monday. "Khaliq sahib touched the feet of his uncle and hugged him for several minutes," Khaliq's relative Muhammad Naeem said. He added that Singh and Khaliq spent four hours together sharing memories and stories of their lives. During the reunion, their relatives garlanded them and showered them with rose petals.
My nephew was still that six-year-old in my mind: Singh
"The emotions were running high on both sides as it was our first meeting, and in my mind, Mohan Singh was still that six-year-old boy who went missing during the riots of 1947," Singh told The Indian Express. "He had come along with his six sons and three daughters, and we all had langar at the gurdwara," he further added.
Two YouTubers helped the duo to reconnect after 75 years
Singh is expected to visit Pakistan to stay with his nephew for some time after getting a visa. Two YouTubers from Pakistan and India helped the duo to reconnect after 75 years. A Jandiala-based YouTuber named Harjit Singh highlighted Sarwan Singh's story in a video on his YouTube channel. He also mentioned a prominent identification mark on Khaliq's body, which helped the search.
An Australian-based Punjabi contacted both the families, helping them reunite
A Pakistan-based YouTuber Javed Mohammad also narrated the story of Khaliq and mentioned similar identification marks. Both the videos were seen by an Australian-based Punjabi man who managed to contact both the families and helped them reconnect. Parvinder, from Jalandhar, said that his grandfather recognized Khaliq with his identity marks which included two thumbs on one hand and a mole on his thigh.
Several members of Singh's family died in the 1947 violence
Singh's entire family used to reside in village Chak 37, now in Pakistan, and around 22 members of his family were killed during the 1947 violence. Singh and other family members managed to cross over to India but the missing Khaliq was raised by a Pakistani Muslim family. Settled in Canada, Singh has been living with his daughter in Jalandhar since the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Kartarpur Corridor was inaugurated in November 2019
To recall, former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated the Kartarpur Corridor as part of the commemoration of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak in November 2019. This paved the way for Indian pilgrims to visit the holy site in Pakistan without a visa.
