LoC divide in Kashmir: PoK-based family watches Kupwara official’s funeral in India from across river
Relatives separated since 1990s gather on opposite bank for last glimpse in north Kashmir village
A rare story of heartbreak played out along the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir’s Keran, where family members of a senior revenue official who died of a cardiac arrest gathered on the opposite riverbank — separating the two countries — to catch one final glimpse before his funeral was held.
Keran village, located along the LoC in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, is divided by the Kishanganga river, known as the Neelum on the Pakistani side.
According to Keran villagers, Liyaqat Ali Khan, who was serving as Naib Tehsildar in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, had recently suffered a cardiac arrest and was undergoing treatment. After remaining admitted for several days at a Srinagar hospital, he passed away on Saturday.
As soon as his body reached Keran and news spread on social media, his relatives in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), including those from both his paternal and maternal sides, gathered on the opposite riverbank to catch a last glimpse of him.
“I witnessed such pain for the first time,” Majaz Ahmad, nambardar of Keran village, told The Tribune. He said Khan’s relatives, including his brothers and other family members, had migrated to PoK during the 1990s.
Villagers said Khan too had initially moved to PoK but returned soon after. In Kashmir, he pursued his studies and later got married. He is survived by his wife and four children. Almost all of his maternal and paternal relatives are currently based in PoK. His mother, uncle and stepbrothers are among the few who now live in Kashmir.
Ahmad said relatives had gathered on the other side to see him one last time. “His body was taken near the river and kept there for some time. The funeral was held and then he was buried,” Ahmad said.
Another villager said the episode reflected the deep pain of separation. “It was a helpless moment. On the other side, his relatives were crying. They stood there for a last glimpse and waited until the funeral was over and he was taken for burial,” he said.
“It was painful to witness. Borders are closed and they could only say goodbye from a distance,” the villager added.
