Long-lost cousins from India, Pakistan reunite after 76 years in Kartarpur

Mohammad Ismaeel and his sister Surinder Kaur, both in their 80s, reached Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur from their respective cities in Pakistan and India and had an emotional reunion

Lahore: Two cousins, separated during the Partition 76 years ago, were reunited at the landmark Kartarpur Corridor, in an emotional meeting made possible through social media, a Pakistani official said on Monday.

Mohammad Ismaeel and his sister Surinder Kaur, both in their 80s, reached Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur from their respective cities in Pakistan and India and had an emotional reunion on Sunday.

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An official of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) told PTI that the administration of Karatarpur Sahib facilitated the reunion of the cousins and offered sweets and langar to them.

Ismaeel belongs to the Sahiwal district of Punjab, some 200 km from Lahore, and Kaur is from Jalandhar.

The families of Ismaeel and Kaur were living in Shahkot town of Jalandhar district before the Partition when the riots separated them.

A Pakistani Punjabi YouTube channel posted the story of Ismaeel, following which one Sardar Mission Singh from Australia contacted him and informed him about his missing family members in India.

Singh gave Ismaeel the telephone number of Kaur after which both cousins spoke and decided to meet at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib via Kartarpur Corridor.

Emotional scenes were witnessed during their reunion.

Kaur and his family members from India also performed religious rituals.

The Kartarpur Corridor links Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Punjab province, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, with the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district in India’s Punjab state. Indian Sikh pilgrims can access the 4 km-long corridor and visit the Darbar Sahib without visas.