Pakistan allows Indian man to visit brother separated during partition

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI (AA) - Pakistan has issued visa to an Indian citizen who recently reunited with his brother, 74 years after they were separated during India and Pakistan partition in 1947.

A video of the reunion of two brothers, Sikka Khan, a resident of northern Indian Punjab state, and Muhammad Siddique from Pakistan's Faisalabad, went viral on social media earlier this month. The video showed an emotional union after they met for the first time at Kartarpur Gurdwara(temple) in Pakistan.

In New Delhi, Pakistan High Commission in a statement on Friday said that they have issued a visa to Sikka Khan to visit his brother, Muhammed Siddique, and other family members in Pakistan.

"The story of the two brothers is a powerful illustration of how the historic opening of the visa-free Kartarpur Sahib Corridor in November 2019 by Pakistan is bringing people closer to each other," the commission said in the statement posted on social media.

After the first meeting at Kartarpur, the two brothers demanded a visa be issued to them so that they can meet frequently.

- How were they reunited?

During the partition in 1947, Siddique was staying at his home in Jugaraun village in Ludhiana in India with his younger sister and father, when his mother left to meet her family with Habib (who later on got the name of Sikka Khan) in Phulewal village.

When Siddique's village came under attack at the time of partition, his father fled with him and his younger sister towards Pakistan's city Faisalabad. On their way, the father was killed and the sister also later died due to severe illness.

On the other hand, the mother was not able to bear the trauma and took her life and child Habib was left one, who was believed to be then aged 10-year-old.

In 2019, Nasir Dhillon, a Pakistani YouTuber had uploaded a video in which Siddique looking for his brother was shown. A medical practitioner from the Phulewal village in Indian Punjab, Jasgir Singh, contacted Dhillon and finally, a video call was arranged between the two brothers.

Earlier this month, the two brothers met at the Kartarpur Gurdwara temple in Pakistan for the first time in an emotional meeting that melted the hearts across the borders.