Zaffar Iqbal
Srinagar, Jun 25: An octogenarian man born in frontier Uri town of north-Kashmir’s Baramulla district, who had later on settled in Pakistan, died in Karachi city on Tuesday last.
Identified as one Ghulam Nabi Khawaja (86) born in Garkote Uri, the family told Kashmir Glory that Khawaja “had mistakenly gone to the other side of the border in 1963”. Khawaja, already a father of two young daughters here, instead of returning, settled back and later on married a local girl in Pakistan. Khawaja, as per the family, had four children; Iram, Shazad, Farooq and Sajad from the second wife and worked as tailor-master to earn his livelihood.
The news of Khawaja’s death, as per family, reached his ancestral residence at Garkote Uri on Tuesday night.
Recalling memories of his visits to Garkote, Khawaja’s maternal nephew Farooq Ahmad said that “Maamu (Khawaja) had first came here via the LoC Bus Service in 2006 and in his last visit came through Wagah Border in 2009”, adding “Maamu stayed here for many months during the visit.”
“Despite years of separation, we feel the pain of his death as if he was with us all these years”, a close relative of Khawaja said, adding “All one could wish for is to visit there to solace his family in these testing times.”
Urging the authorities to resume the suspended Bus Service, Khawaja’s grandson Umar Rahim remarked that “due to the suspension of this vital link we can’t even go to pay condolences to the bereaved family there.”
“There are many others who are yearning to see their families for a long now and we do hope that the suspended Bus Service will be resumed at the earliest”, Umar said.
Pertinent to mention here that the, Srinagar–Muzaffarabad Bus Service was suspended in March 2019 following the deadliest suicide attack at Pulwama.