Brothers separated for 74 years during Partition embrace in emotional reunion

In an emotional reunion, two brothers separated by the bloody partition that divided India and Pakistan were finally able to embrace each other after 74 years of living apart from each other. In a now-viral TikTok video capturing the moment, brothers Siddique and Habib reunited at the Kartarpur Corridor. This special corridor connects Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan to the border with India. The corridor was opened by Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2019 and facilitates visa-free travel between the two neighboring countries. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the 4.7-kilometer-long corridor remained closed. However, it was reopened just in time for the two brothers to share their heartening reunion, Indian news channel News18 reports.

The partition separating the two nations took place in the year 1947, at which time British-colonized India was split into two independent Dominions: India and Pakistan. What took place was a violent and overwhelming refugee crisis that displaced 10 to 20 million people along religious lines. As a result of the historical event, thousands of families were torn apart, with many migrating to different parts of the region. Brothers Siddique and Habib are but one example of family members who were separated from each other. However, very few families have had the opportunity to be reunited.

In the viral video, the two brothers are accompanied by their respective groups of friends. One of them walks across the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, one of the holiest sites in the Sikh religion, until he meets his brother on the other side. Then, the brothers fall into each other's arms as they begin to hold each other and burst into tears. Their friends watch on as they exchange their first words to each other after over seven decades of separation. Since the video was first posted online, it has gained immense traction, with dozens of social media users sharing that the clip moved them to tears.

Many shared their own stories of salvaging what was lost after Partition. For instance, one Twitter user posted, "My father who migrated to India visited his birthplace nearly 70 years after Partition. That was a moment he had lived for all his life. [He] said he would now die peacefully and he did four years later. I await the day when I can go and scatter his ashes." Another added, "[I] have seen my father in law crying like this when he came back after visiting Lyallpur after 67 years. Only those who have lost their homes can understand this pain, no one else."

Like many who lost their loved ones during Partition, brothers Siddique and Habib grew up without having each other to lean on while they navigated post-Partition Indian and Pakistan. Siqqique, who grew up in Pakistan's Faisalabad, was an infant during the time of the Partition when his family was seperated. His elder brother Habib grew up on the Indian side of the Partition line. Before bidding farewell, the pair affirmed that they would continue to meet with each other through the corridor.