Uniting families divided by the past

Social media helped two brothers reunite 74 years after partition was imposed between India and Pakistan. Uniting families divided by the past has hit the headlines.

For two years, the Covid virus cut families off from hugging each other. This video “went viral” and long-awaited hugs were news.

The reunion of Saddique and Sikka Khan is one of many reunions helped by the Punjani Lehar Youtube channel. Its aim is to bridge the gap between the peoples of East and West Punjab, created by the partition.

Nasir Dhillon, 37, runs the channel based in Pakistan. His father and grandfather died before they could visit their family home in India. Their stories about the partition in 1947 inspired Dhillon to set up his channel. Over half a million people are subscribers.

“With the help of the people of both sides of Punjab, we have reunited over 200 friends and families across the border”

Family ties last a life time. Yet big systems or plain ignorance may break those ties. Saddique and Sikka’s happy ending was just short of a life sentence apart.

Keeping family ties secure from the start is even better than dramatic efforts decades later uniting families divided by the past.