- Family members crossed the border in the 1990s.
After the partition of 1947, India and Pakistan appeared as two separate countries on the world map, but politics created a humanitarian problem of division of families on both sides of the border lines and the Line of Control (LoC) in the Kashmir Valley. An example of this humanitarian divide came to light in Keran, a remote village located near the Line of Control (LoC) in North Kashmir, where the funeral of a serving government official became a poignant reminder of the decades-old partition that even death could not erase.
In this atmosphere of grief and separation, people from both Keran (India) and Neelam (POK) areas gathered in a remote village situated on the banks of Kishanganga river, to attend the last prayers of the man whose family was divided into two parts by this river.
The deceased was posted as Naib Tehsildar in Ganderbal district.
Raja Liaquat Ali Khan, posted as Naib Tehsildar in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir, died of a heart attack on Saturday (April 23, 2026). He was undergoing treatment at Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences for the last several days. His death sparked a wave of mourning in his native village, but what happened next exposed an even deeper tragedy.
As the last procession passed through the village along the Kishanganga river, Khan’s relatives stood helplessly on the other side of the LoC. They were separated from them due to the heavily guarded Line of Control (LoC). On the other side of the LoC, this river known as ‘Neelam’ was not only a geographical boundary, but it also symbolized a deep emotional gulf.
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Close family members had left the country and crossed the border in 1990.
Locals said that many of Khan’s close family members, including his father, siblings and other relatives, had crossed the border to the other side in the early 1990s. However, there came a time when he himself crossed the border and went to the other side of the LoC, but later he returned and continued his life and his government service by staying on this side. As soon as the news of his death was received through social media, they all gathered on the banks of the river on the other side of the border, so that they could get a last glimpse of the last journey.
People were seen mourning on both the banks of the river
Eyewitness accounts and videos going viral online showed people mourning on both banks of the river. When the last prayers were going on towards Karen, the people standing on the other side were bidding farewell to her by waving hands with moist eyes. Along with some videos, emotional songs were also being played, which were deepening this feeling of sadness and separation.
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