Pakistani brother meets Indian sis after 54 years

Fatehgarh Sahib, Mar 20 (UNI) A Pakistan resident Rana Yasin Ahmad Khan, separated from his Indian family at birth, finally reunited after 54 years with his separated sister Mukhtiar Kaur in village Barwali Khurd of district Fatehgarh Sahib in Punjab.

As Rana entered the village Barwali on Friday, the whole village came out to welcome him. Many villagers, who had helped his Pakistani mother live incognito with her Indian husband here, wept as he told them that when deported to Pakistan, she didn't remarry and had died sometime back with her cherished wish to be re-united with her family, specially her daughter, remaining unfulfilled.

It was Rana's second visit to India. His successful attempts three years ago to trace his family at village Barwali Khurd and real sister Mukhtiar Kaur at her matrimonial home in village Bhari near Khanna had come to a naught when the sister, unaware of his existence, refused to accept him.

However, moved by his obvious emotional trauma, Mukhtiar began to probe her family history after Rana returned. Gradually it came to light that that her father Ugar Singh, a Punjabi Jat Sikh had married during partition a Muslim girl Sukhra Bibi who was renamed Dalip Kaur.

Though the villagers tried to conceal her real identity for many years, the police however, came to know of the fact after about six years of partition. ''Apparently because of the orthodox and fluid atmosphere of those times, my mother was made to go to Pakistan when she was pregnant. I was born on March 15, 1953,'' Rana said, adding that his mother always wanted to come back to India.

When the Indian siblings realised that Rana was actually their blood, it was their turn to locate him in Pakistan in which they succeeded recently.

Rana has arrived here on his birthday on a 20-day visa to meet his family and it has turned out to be an unforgettable celebration.

He felt both touched and proud when Pargat Singh, an elder of village Barwali Khurd while recalling Rana's parents praised his father Ugar Singh as a bold and hardworking man who commanded great respect.

Hailing both Ugar Singh and Dalip kaur nee Sukhra bibi as an honest, happy and helpful couple, they said they were very fond of their daughter Mukhtiar. Ugar Singh, who was distraught after Dalip left, nurtured a special bond with his daughter till end.

Rana said her mother later pressed him to shift from Islamabad to Gujjranwala in Pakistan's Punjab province, where he now lives with his family. He hoped that their families will also be able to meet someday.

UNI