M A I N   N E W S

Hope for cross-border marriages
Varinder Walia
Tribune News Service

Qadian, May 6
Maqbool Ahmad (33), reporter of a national Hindi daily here, was engaged to be married with Tahira, a Pakistani national and resident of Faislabad in April 2001. He was waiting for the day of marriage was unhappy when rail, bus and air links with Pakistan were stopped after attack on Indian Parliament.

Maqbool could not contact Tahira or members of her family as telephone calls to Pakistan were virtually ‘banned’ after the attack on Parliament. Maqbool had to go to England to convey to the family of Tahira that she could marry a person of her choice in Pakistan as there was no chance of restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries. However, the possibility of a dialogue between the two countries have raised hopes of thousands of Muslims of both countries looking forward to the restoration of ‘Samjhauta Express’ and ‘New Delhi-Lahore’ bus service.

Relatives of Qadian Muslims having relatives in both countries could not share their joys and sorrows after the train and bus services were stopped.

None of her relatives from Pakistan could attend the burial of the widow of Hazrat Abdul Rehman Jat, a former chief of the Ahmadiya Jamat (India), Bibi Sadiqa Khatun breathed her last at Qadian. Similarly, Ms Sadika Beghum and her sister, Ms Arfa Begham, Pakistani nationals married here long ago, could not go to their native town Mandi Bahudin (Pakistan) to mourn their mother’s death. Chaudhry Wasay Sahib, Chaudhry Masood Ahmed, Chaudhry Munir Ahmed and many other residents of Qadian, international headquarters of Ahmadiya Muslims have a tale of woes to narrate as they could not mourn the deaths of their near and dear ones who died in Pakistan after the snapping of rail, road and air links with Pakistan.

However, de-escalation of tension in the region after the statements of Mr A.B. Vajpayee responded by his Pakistani counterpart for a dialogue has raised hopes of re-union of people of both countries. Many boys or girls of India and Pakistan engaged to be married before the attack on Parliament hoped that their marriages might be solemnised after the restoration of communication links between both countries.

Mr Tanvir Ahmed, president of the Press Committee of Ahmadiya Jamat, hailing the peace initiative taken by Prime Minister Vajpayee said that war could not solve any problem. He said his Jamat (Ahmadiya) advocated peace. Mr Tanvir said that happy days would return in the region after the restoration of diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan. He gave a list of seven boys and girls of Qadian and Pakistan awaiting marriages in their respective countries as they were engaged to be married before Indian Parliament was attacked.