Heartwarming video shows 2 brothers reuniting after being separated for 74 years by India's partition
- During the partition of India in 1947, brothers Sadiq and Sikka Khan found themselves living in separate countries.
- A viral video captures the moment the brothers were reunited after 74 years apart.
A viral video captured the heartwarming moment two brothers were reunited after being separated for 74 years by the partition of India.
The emotional video shows the brothers reuniting in Kartarpur Corridor, a visa-free border crossing connecting Pakistan and India.
The two elderly men can be seen holding each other and crying after spending a lifetime apart.
In 1947, India and Pakistan divided into independent countries, involving the transfer of millions of people of different religions in an event known as partition.
Sikka Khan and his mother remained on the Indian side, while his older brother Sadiq Khan and father found themselves on the Pakistani side, The Indian Express reported.
To find his missing brother, Sadiq Khan, now in his 80s, enlisted the help of Pakistani YouTuber Nasir Dhillon, who produces videos on a channel called Punjabi Lehar telling stories from partition, the paper said.
Through an appeal on social media, Dhillon was able to track down Khan's long-lost brother in India in 2019, the paper reported.
The brothers then spoke for the first time in a 70-minute video call. They exchanged stories about their difficult lives and revealed that they had lost both of their parents soon after partition.
Sikka told Sadiq that their mother had died by suicide when he was four. Sadiq said their father got separated in the mayhem after partition and was never found, according to The Indian Express.
It took two years for the brothers to finally meet in person, due to visa complications and the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The two didn't have passports, so first, we arranged those. Then, neither could get a visa. After that came COVID-19 and the borders were closed. Finally, the reopening of the Kartarpur Corridor in November presented an opportunity. We decided to arrange the meeting of the two there," Dhillon told The Indian Express.
Sikka Khan, now in his 70s, lives in Phulewal, India, and said that he hoped to be given a visa by the Pakistani government so he could continue to visit his brother, The Indian Express reported.
"This village has always supported me. I have lived a good life here. I love them and they love me. But I also want to live with my brother," Khan said, according to paper.
"I hope the Pakistan government gives me a visa… I will keep coming back for a few months every year. This is how I want to spend the rest of my life."