Death bridges LoC divide as relatives in PoK bid farewell across river

SRINAGAR: Grief paused astatine a borderline that seldom yields. A coffin acceptable by the constrictive Kishanganga stream successful Keran assemblage of J&K became a span of sight, if not touch, arsenic mourners gathered connected some sides of LoC, calling retired crossed region for a last farewell.In Keran — a colony successful northbound Kashmir’s Kupwara territory that sits close on LoC — a ceremonial turned into a cross-border infinitesimal of shared mourning. Kishanganga, known arsenic Neelum crossed successful PoK, cuts done the settlement, separating families divided by decades of conflict.Liyaqat Ali Khan, a gross authoritative posted successful Ganderbal, died aft suffering a cardiac apprehension portion connected duty. He had been undergoing attraction astatine Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences successful Srinagar for 4 days earlier his death.By the clip his assemblage reached his colony Saturday, connection had travelled beyond. Relatives crossed LoC, galore of whom had tracked his information connected societal media, gathered connected the other bank. The coffin was brought to the river’s edge, allowing them 1 past glimpse.Videos present wide shared amusement mourners crying retired from crossed the disagreement arsenic ceremonial rites were performed. “It was a precise affectional infinitesimal for each of us. They were watching from the PoK Dak Bungalow lawns and wailing,” a nonmigratory said.

Village caput Majaz Ahmad said respective of Khan’s adjacent relatives, including siblings, had moved crossed during migrations of the 1990s, leaving families permanently split. Khan is survived by his woman and 2 children.Such “divided families” are communal on LoC, wherever borders tally done homes, fields and kinship lines. Efforts to reconnect them person flickered implicit years. In 2005, past PM Manmohan Singh flagged disconnected the Srinagar–Muzaffarabad autobus service, known arsenic Karwaan-e-Aman, offering a uncommon nexus crossed the divide. Cross-LoC commercialized followed successful 2008 on routes including Uri–Muzaffarabad and Poonch–Rawalakot, operating connected a barter strategy earlier being suspended successful 2019 implicit misuse for smuggling.On a riverbank successful Keran, argumentation and authorities faded for a moment. Only voices carried crossed h2o arsenic a family, separated by an invisible line, said goodbye together.