Bharat, Pakistan brothers here

Archit Watts

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Tribune News Service

Malout (Muktsar), August 16

India and Pakistan may have mostly shared a bitter relationship on strategic or political fronts but Bharat and Pakistan have a different story to narrate in Malout town of Muktsar district.

Meet brothers Bharat Singh (12) and Pakistan Singh (10), who share the bonhomie just like any other siblings. Their father Gurmeet Singh said his grandparents had migrated from Pakistan to Hansi (now in Haryana) and later, his parents shifted to Malout. “I hate violence. Our family has seen conflicts between the two countries and the idea of naming my sons Bharat and Pakistan is to see the two nations share bonhomie.”

Gurmeet is illiterate and owns a shop, Bharat Pakistan Wood Works, on the Fazilka-Delhi national highway. He said, “Naming my kids did not go down well with some people, who warned me that Pakistanis would abduct my son. Some said it was wrong to name a child Pakistan in our country. Even cops had come to my shop, which I opened about two years ago and asked me to remove the word Pakistan from the hoarding installed outside. Once I told them the idea behind this, they returned.”

The brother-duo told some stories how Pakistan used to protect Bharat from their mother when she scolded them. Asked how he feels when someone calls him Pakistan, the 10-year-old said, “It is my name and I am absolutely fine with it. We sometime fight with each other while seeing India-Pakistan cricket matches on TV.”

Gurmeet Singh added, “Pakistan’s school had objected to his name. So we had to enroll him as Karandeep. But he is Pakistan for us.” He hopes one day the border between the two nations would open.