One this side of â??Line of Controlâ?? a separated husband waits for 31 years just for a glimpse

June 19: Shakespeare might have made their union immortal, filmmakers certainly would like to embody it, as their union had every ingredient of romantic blockbuster but time and location seem to be on the worst side of this couple separated since 1965.

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This is the sordid tale of love and separation of a 75-year-old beloved and his wife, when there eyes met “briefly” in 2006 when India and Pakistan opened meeting points for the divided families living on either sides of Line of control, the line dividing erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two parts each one administered by either country. Their struggle is still going on. Let us start from the beginning.

When eyes of Nazir Hussain of Chajjla village, Mendhar, Poonch met with the love of his life, everything seemed to be at standstill. This eye contact after four decades set the memories rolling back for the two elderly persons standing across the dividing line.

Indeed the day –when Thathapani meeting point-Roshni (light) undoubtedly made the withered faces jovial as they shared glances. The day when the point was opened for the movement across to permit wielding citizens of both Indian and Pakistani parts of the state, grey bearded Hussain’s eyes were searching for his soul mate. Every body moving from other side of the line of control (LoC) into frontier district of Poonch remained uninterested about stick supported old man till he enquired about a woman named Kaneeza Bi. Nobody had the answer until his eyes fell on much “older” woman on the other side. There eyes met and that was all as neither of them had a permit to cross the “line of peace”.

Worth cherishing sight of incomplete union of two much older fellows, eyes glued on each other till they were told to leave the place, has set the flashback to start.

This touchy love legend starts with the separation of Hussain and Kaneeza Bi in 1965, when three villagers chased her to the other side of LoC and thus separating the love longing couple. Just a sight of his beloved was enough for Hussain to weep bitterly. “She looks quite older of her age,” he was heard saying.

Hussain and Kaneeza married in 1960 after falling for each other. Till 1965, when they separated from each other, their four children were enjoying the beauty of Mendhar. “On that fateful day in 1965, she disappeared without a trace. I thought she might be dead,” Hussain said when enquired about the union and subsequent separation. He added, “After many years I came to know that three persons from my village-Barkat Hussain, Mohammad Sadiq and Abdullah, had devastated me by chasing her to the other side.

“I enquired about her from every source but to no avail.”

On June 12, 2006, when he received a letter from other side of “Red Kotli, Azad Kashmir” on its backside, Hussain had every reason to celebrate. “She had enquired about me and wanted to meet me at Roshni post, when people from both sides will meet each other,” he said with a penchant of a lovelorn husband.

“I was eager to discuss things with her. To know what they has gone through all these years and tell her how even after decades of separation my heart longs for her,” he said adding, “line of control came in between and I wasn’t able to meet.”

While going through the letter written in chaste Urdu, addressing Hussain as pyare mehboob (dear lover), Kaneeza reveals that she married once again but after some time her second husband deceived her. “She is eager to meet me and I am ready to take her back,” he said.

After moving away from the line of control just to work out the formalities to meet his “wife”, Hussain has long way to go as except his walking stick nobody seems to be on his side.

Hussain is not an exception. He shares his agony with thousands of fellow countrymen who lost their nears and dears since 1947, where his country was occupied by two neighbours.

Now even after the lapse of more than year, Hussain is yet to cross over to the other part to see his beloved, may be last time. When this correspondent met him in Jammu a month back he was still waiting for the permission (read permit) of the administration. “after that I didn’t got any news about my wife,” he told this correspondent, who met him on that fateful day when he saw his “wife” after few decades.

After taking leave Hussain said with self pity, “Will anybody help me out, please” with agony and uncertainty all over his face.

(Most of the quotes in his write up have been borrowed from the writer’s previous report when he visited frontier district of Poonch in 2006. On his recent visit to the state, Newstrack India correspondent Sadiq Ali met Nazir Hussain in Jammu, now frail and much older.

This is the third part of the series about Jammu and Kashmir were thousands of locals perished during last 18 years of insurgency. Official records put death toll around 40,000 but unofficially it is round about 75000 and separatist leaders claim it to be more than one Lakh.

Both India and Pakistan claim Jammu and Kashmir and this tussle has been going on since the independence of India and creation of Pakistan in 1947. Kashmir issue remained unresolved till now even after some serious attempts by both countries.)