Two brothers had a heartfelt reunion when they saw eachother for the first time in 75 long years since the Partition of 1947.
Due to the partition dividing the siblings by nations, Sika Khan is Indian and his brother Sadiq Khan is from Pakistan.
The brothers reunion in Kartarpur
“We hugged and cried so much when we met for the first time. The countries can keep on fighting. We don’t care about India-Pakistan politics.” said Sika.
Sika was barely six months old when he and his brother were separated until they found each other again in January at Kartarpur. A visa-free crossing that allows Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit a temple in Pakistan.
Opening in 2019, Kartarpur has become a place of relief and reconciliation for families divided by the lingering conflict between India and Pakistan.
Sika and Sadiq were reunited with the help of Pakistani Youtuber Nasir Dhillon who has helped over 300 families through his YouTube channel with the help of his friend Bhupinder Singh.
“When they were reunited at the Kartarpur, not only me but some 600 people at the compound wept so much seeing the brothers being reunited.” said Dhillon to AFP.
The long road to find eachother
The brother’s father and sister were both killed in communal massacres and the older brother Sadiq fled to the newly formed Pakistan.
Devasted by the loss of her husband and daughter and Sadiq likely presumed dead, their mother took her own life said Sika.
“I was left at the mercy of villagers and some relatives who brought me up.” he stated.
Determined to find his brother again, Sika searched for years, failing to find any details to Sadiq’s whereabouts until three years ago when a local doctor offered to help him and put him in contact with YouTuber Nasir Dhillon, who was determined to help the Khan brothers reunite.
YouTuber doesn’t do it for money
Outside of Youtube, Dhillon is a real-estate agent who mentions that he doesn’t do this for money, but out of passion.
“This is not my source of income. It’s my inner affection and passion.” he said while speaking to AFP.
“I feel like these stories are my own stories or stories of my grandparents, so helping these elders I feel like I am fulfilling the wishes of my own grandparents.”