Cherwan, Gurez (LoC) July 26: The 105-year-old Khalil Muhammad Lone living in the last village of this frontier village has not been able to cover a distance of 2-kilometres since 1947 to offer fateha at the grave of his sister, Mehri.
“It was nearly 15 years before the partition; my sister was married to Anwar of Dood-Gaghi. I would frequently visit Mehri’s home to inquire about her,” he said, adding that arrival of forces changed everything here. Recalling the fateful day, when Chorwan was separated from Dood Gaghi forever, Khalil says he was at his sister’s home on that day. “After remaining trapped on other side for a few days, I somehow managed to return,” he says. After a few years meetings between divided families’ on LoC were arranged by the officials of India and Pakistan. “My joy knew no bounds when it was my turn. I too went to the last post hoping to meet Mehri, but my entire joy fizzled out with the news of her death. I tried many times to visit her grave, but failed,” he says. And the only memory he has of his sister is that she had three daughters. “I don’t want to die before visiting her grave and meeting my nieces. I am too poor to afford the travel expenses to visit other side by bus or other means of transport. I want to cross the mountain to reach Dood Gaghi, which I used to do in the childhood,” he said. “Our miseries started in 1947 and we are continuing to live with it. From 1947 onwards we witnessed wars and exchange of artillery between forces of both the countries. During 1965 and 1971 wars, we would pray for the safety of our lives and most of the villagers would flee,” he said, adding that continuous shelling between the forces on LoC was nightmare for them, till announcement of the ceasefire by both the countries in 2003. “During these years, shells landed in our houses and courtyards. We couldn’t cultivate crops and even we walked cautiously in daytime as the danger of death lurked every time,” he added.
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