The Hindu : National : PoK refugee to be reunited with family after five decades

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 24, 2005

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National

PoK refugee to be reunited with family after five decades

Staff Reporter

Family traced thanks to passenger on the first bus to PoK

Tandon migrated after tribals from the North West Frontier Province attacked the area
Was not even sure if relatives were alive

Family members have converted to Islam

JAMMU: A Hindu refugee from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), who came to this side of the Line of Control (LoC) during the Partition riots, is set to be reunited with family members in PoK after more than five decades.

This is a dream come true for the families who belong to different religions. They had no information about each other all these years.

The family of Jagdish Raj Tandon have never met their relatives in PoK. They were not even sure if their relatives were alive. Mr. Tandon and his parents migrated from Muzaffarabad after tribals from the North West Frontier Province attacked the area. Many of his family members, including his three brothers, were unable to leave. Mr. Tandon came to know about the whereabouts of his separated family thanks to Khalid Hussian who travelled to PoK on the first bus on April 7. Mr. Hussian was the only passenger who was threatened on the telephone by the Al-Nasreen militant outfit asking him not to board the bus.

Mr. Hussian told The Hindu that when Mr. Tandon came to him and narrated his tale, it became a priority for him to trace his family in PoK.

Mr. Hussian made a personal request to the PoK Prime Minister Sikandar Hayat Khan in this regard during a dinner that was hosted. "Within two days, Mr. Tandon's family members, including his three brothers, were traced," he added.

Mr. Tandon had given Mr. Hussian the names of three relatives — Mangat Ram, Mohan Lal and Kanshi Ram.

They are now Mangatullah Khan, Sheikh Abdul Roohid and Sheikh Ghulam Rasool as they have converted to Islam.

The PoK administration has extended a special invitation to Mr. Tandon to visit his relatives. Mr. Tandon says, "At the fag end of my life, it is a dream come true for me."

He added that he was thankful to the administration for locating his family and was all set to travel to his birthplace.

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