Pakistan issues visa allowing Indian man to meet his family separated 74 years ago

Islamabad: Pakistan High Commission in India Friday issued a visa to an Indian citizen allowing him to meet his family members in Pakistan who had been separated 74 years ago due to the partition.

“Today, Pakistan High Commission issues visa to Sika Khan to visit his brother, Muhammed Siddique and other family members in Pakistan,” Pakistan High Commission announced on Twitter.

The two brothers, separated in 1947, were recently reunited after 74 years at Kartarpur Sahib Corridor.

The story of the two brothers is a powerful illustration of how the historic opening of the visa-free Kartarpur Sahib Corridor by Pakistan is bringing people closer to each other.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had inaugurated the Corridor in 2019 on the 550th birth anniversary of Sikhism founder Baba Guru Nanak – an initiative lauded by the Sikh community in India as well as across the world.

Sika Khan also met with Chargé d’Affaires Aftab Hasan Khan and interacted with Mission’s officers. He appreciated his interaction and thanked the embassy staffers for the cooperation extended to him.

“I am so happy. I have received the visa. I will travel now and meet (my brother),” Sika Khan said in his video message while being at the High Commission.

A video of an emotional sibling reunion is winning hearts on social media. According to reports, Sika Khan’s brother lives in Faisalabad area.

The footage shows the brothers crying in one another’s arms with a crowd watching this emotional reunion.

During his visit in February 2020, UN Secretary-General António Guterres had called Kartarpur Corridor a “Corridor of Hope” which allows visa-free crossing to Sikhs between nearby holy sites.