Long-lost siblings reunite after 75 years at Kartarpur

Lahore: A man and his sister, separated during the Partition 75 years ago, were reunited at the landmark Kartarpur Corridor, in an emotional meeting made possible through social media, a media report said on Monday.

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, Dawn News reported.

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.

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

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

Overwhelmed with joy, Mahendra 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 on Sunday.

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.