By Neelum River, families sundered by dispute long for reunion
They express grief and happiness with each other from their respective sides of the river in Kashmir
July 04, 2017
NEELUM VALLEY: On the bank of Neelum River, a body is seen kept on a charpoy, with bereaved mourning the death of their loved one. But these are not the only people crying over the demise, on the other side of the river another group of men and women is seen beating their chests in grief.
The body is of 55-year-old Raja Manzoor, who died of an ailment, and the mourners on the two sides of the river are all his relatives. They could not cross the river to console each other in the time of grief and the water stream is not a mere natural division, but also separates the disputed territory, into Indian-occupied Kashmir and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
"This is how we give solace to each other in times of sorrow," a member of the bereaved family, Raja Basharat, told Geo News. "When a death takes place on the other side of the river, they bring the body and keep it on the bank – we offer our condolences, standing on our side."
When the group of people from the other side leave to offer funeral prayers for the deceased, they also leave, but for their homes, not to participate in the final rites, Basharat added.
On festive occasions too they meet and greet each other from their respective sides of the river.
Those who want to cross the river to the other side to can only do so by obtaining a visa and completing the relevant paperwork, said Gul Akhtar, another member of the same family. They can then travel to the other side via the Wagah border. "This is a lengthy procedure, which is why we participate in each other's occasions from our respective sides of the river."
An old man, Syed Ghulam Hussain, in Azad Jammu and Kashmir told Geo News he would commute between the two areas before the Indian forces had taken over in 1948. He said travelling was easy as there was a bridge over the river. "I have completed my primary education from Kupwara in Indian occupied Kashmir," he added. "But now, the tensions have drawn a line between not only two regions, but also families."
