LAHORE:
Taking into account the history of bilateral tensions, for most people on both sides of the Indo-Pak edge, the worsening of ties agitates two indifferent reactions: curiosity or fun.
However, for a small segment of the population, those trapped in cross -border marriages, the closing of the border means emotionally saying goodbye to their loved ones through division.
Recently, after a terrorist attack aimed at tourists in illegally occupied Indians, Jammu and Kashmir (Iiojk), the Indian government announced a series of drastic reprisal measures against Pakistan, including the closure of the border and the unilateral suspension of the Indo Water Treaty.
Although India’s impulsive decision to close the border and cut the water supply was received with sarcasm and humor by social networks users in Pakistan, the true burden of worsening bilateral ties is supported by thousands of couples in cross -border marriages.
Afshan Saif, who lives in the capital of India, New Delhi, is originally from Karachi, Pakistan. After his marriage, she moved to her husband’s house in India. “My maternal grandfather is seriously ill and hospitalized. He was supposed to travel to Karachi with my family in May to visit him, however, this will not be possible in the light of recent events,” said Afshan.
Similarly, Naseb Akhtar Bilal, who married a family in Karachi, came from New Delhi, India. Due to the recent tensions between the two rivals, their hopes of visiting their parents and brothers in India next month seem to be faded. “Now, I can only talk to my family through video calls. I have not met my brothers in years,” Naseb shared.
Mohammad Saif, a citizen of New Delhi, told Express PAkGazette that he married a woman from Karachi. The true complexities of a cross-border marriage hit the couple during the Covid-19 pandemic, when his wife was visiting their parents in Karachi and the closing of the border prevented them from gathering. “I know at least 30 couples who have cross -border marriages. Pakistani women who marry India are given a visa of” without objection to India “, but as soon as tensions intensify, they face many challenges,” Saif explained.
According to Abdul Basit, former ambassador to India and an expert in diplomatic affairs, cross -border relationships are a discarded reality of the subcontinent. “If we ignore the existence of such marriages, we will actually destroy a natural bridge of peace between the two nations. These couples also face complex legal issues about citizenship, the legal rights of their children and property. If the couple decides to separate, the judicial procedures are entangled in the international jurisdiction,” he basited in scales.
Emphasizing the ostracization facing couples in cross -border marriages, Professor Dr. Shabnam Gul, president of the Department of International Relations of Lahore College for Women (LCWU), revealed that people who had family ties throughout the border were often seen with suspicion, particularly with respect to their loyalty to their loyalty to their loyalty to their loyalty to their loyalty.
“These people make fun of having ties with an” enemy country. “In India, it has become a common practice to call the” Pakistani agents “of those people. Taken by both countries they have fed the hatred among people,” said Dr. Gul.
Dr. Gul believed that the elaboration of the elaboration of this hatred has isolated families connected through the border. “Sometimes, their personal relationships are deeply affected, since it becomes difficult to maintain love for the country itself and a negative perception of the spouse’s country at the same time. In such situations, the restoration of peace and the reconciliation efforts become almost impossible because when the distrust and hostility in the atmosphere prevail, the voices of peace are suppressed,” the gul explained. “
In the light of prevailing bilateral tensions, diplomatic experts have suggested to introduce a special family visa card “for cross -border families, allowing visa facilities upon arrival for emergencies such as parents’ disease or a death in the family. They have also proposed to establish a special crossing point on the border of Wagah-Attari, where families could meet in specific conditions.
