Poonch:
The tragedy of the divide between the two parts of Jammu and Kashmir was exposed when it took more than four decades for a married couple separated by a kilometre to be reunited.
Niaz Mohammad (72), originally from Salotri village of Poonch district was united with his wife Barkat Bi (70) after he crossed the Line of Control point in Poonch district.
Mr. Mohammad had accidentally crossed over to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir during the 1965 India-Pakistan war. The animosity between the two countries was such that it was virtually impossible for him to return. His wife along with their son, Mohammad Isaq, started a relentless search for him. It was only after Mr. Mohammad's first letter from PoK arrived that Barkat Bi came to know that her husband had crossed the Line of Control and was living in an adjoining village in PoK. However, he has been given permission to be here only for a month. As he is now a PoK resident, he has to go back.
The son, who was three years old when he last saw his father, says: "It would be tough for me to be separated from my father again. I hope the authorities let him reside here keeping in mind his old age. There is no one to look after him in PoK."
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