Hugs, tears as brothers separated during Partition reunite after 74 years

At the Kartarpur Corridor, Siddique, a resident of Faisalabad in Pakistan, had an emotional reunion with his brother Habib from Phullanwalla village in India. (Screengrab from video tweeted by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf)

Two brothers, separated during the Partition in 1947, recently had a deeply moving reunion at the Kartarpur Corridor in Pakistan.

A video of the two elderly men crying and hugging each other on meeting after 74 years has struck a chord with many people.

The clip, tweeted by journalist Ravinder Singh Robin, showed the brothers being escorted by their relatives to their meeting point.

Emotions run high and tears wouldn't stop from the eyes of septuagenarian brothers who were divided during Indo Pak partition but reunited at Kartarpur Sahib after 74 years.
While keeping aside their bilateral differences India Pakistan have opened #KartarpurCorridor onNov 9,2019 pic.twitter.com/oIO1cSspcM

— Ravinder Singh Robin ਰਵਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ رویندرسنگھ روبن (@rsrobin1) January 12, 2022

As they moved closer, the people accompanying the brothers greeted each other. The two men then embraced and wept. One of them consoled the other saying “we met after all”.

"Emotions run high and tears wouldn't stop from the eyes of septuagenarian brothers who were divided during Indo Pak partition but reunited at Kartarpur Sahib after 74 years," Singh said in his tweet.

According to Pakistani media reports, one of the brothers is Siddique, a resident of Faisalabad in Pakistan, while the other is Habib from Phullanwalla village on the Indian side.

Their story is like those of millions of families uprooted and torn apart from because of the violent partition of British-ruled India into two dominions – India and Pakistan – in 1947.

Fifteen million people are believed to have been displaced because of the Partition. The death toll is estimated to be over 1 million.

A Twitter user said the Kartarpur Corridor, a visa-free border crossing opened in 2019, that allows Indian pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, had helped reunite the brothers. “A corridor of reunion,” Gagandeep Singh said.

Kartarpur Sahib corridor has reunited two elderly brothers across the Punjab border after 74 years. The two brothers had parted ways at the time of partition. A corridor of reunion pic.twitter.com/g2FgQco6wG

— Gagandeep Singh (@Gagan4344) January 12, 2022

“Two brothers who parted ways during the partition - one choosing India, the other Pakistan reunite for the first time in 74+ years at Kartarpur - the scars run deep but there is hope to heal,” journalist Ali Mustafa said.

two brothers who parted ways during the partition - one choosing India, the other Pakistan reunite for the first time in 72 years at #Kartarpur - the scars run deep but there is hope to heal - pic.twitter.com/jcUJfZwhtm

— علی مصطفی | Ali Mustafa (@Ali_Mustafa) January 12, 2022