Long-Lost Siblings Reunite at Kartarpur Corridor After More Than 75 Years

A Sikh woman and her brother, separated during the Partition more than 75 years ago, were reunited at the landmark Kartarpur Corridor, in an emotional reunion made possible through social media.

Mahendra Kaur, 81, from India, reunited with her 78-year-old brother Sheikh Abdul Aziz from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir at the Kartarpur Corridor after they found out through a social media post that they were siblings separated during the Partition in 1947.

The two families discovered that Kaur and Aziz were estranged siblings after connecting through a social media post detailing the separation of a man and his sister during the Partition.

During the Partition, the family of Sardar Bhajan Singh from the Indian side of Punjab was tragically torn apart when Aziz relocated to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, while his other family members remained in India, said Imran Sheikh, a family member of Aziz.

He married at a young age but always had a longing to reunite with his parents and other family members.

On Sunday, Kaur and Aziz arrived at the Kartapur Corridor on wheel-chairs. Emotional scenes of the family reunion were witnessed, with the family members singing songs and showering flowers to express their love.

Overwhelmed with joy, Kaur repeatedly hugged her brother and kissed his hands and the two families also visited Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur together, sitting side by side and sharing a meal.

They also exchanged gifts as a symbol of their reunion.

Following the joyful reunion, the Kartarpur administration adorned both families with garlands and distributed sweets.

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.

The 4 km-long corridor provides visa-free access to Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit the Darbar Sahib.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)