Amid blazing guns, trans-border marriage blossoms in Rajouri

JAMMU: Amid deafening sounds of mortar explosions and machine gun fire on the Indo-Pak borders in Jammu and Kashmir, a young man from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) crossed the “live” border and married a girl in Rajouri district on Tuesday.

Thirty-three year-old Mohammed Arif had reached Rajouri via “Carvane-Aman” (peace bus) on Monday to tie the knot.

Arif had crossed the Line of Control(LoC) on a valid travel permit aboard the peace bus via Chakan-daBagh in Poonch district and on Tuesday, he married his uncle’s daughter Kajal Sana in Dhani Dhar area of Rajouri.

Arif has come on a travel permit of two weeks.

Rajouri deputy commissioner Shabir Ahmed Bhat said, “Amid firing and shelling on the borders, it is a positive development.”

“There are several families on either side of the border which have blood relations in both parts of divided Kashmir,” he added.

A top police officer said that the law does not disallow such marriages and that PoK is part of India, which is under illegal occupation of Pakistan.

A local journalist from Rajouri said that Arif and Kajal are married according to Sharia law but they will be approaching a local court in Rajouri town for the court marriage.

“Since the newly-wedded bride has to shift to her in-laws’ house in Mirpur and Arif ’s travel permit will cease on Monday, the couple will register their marriage in the court tomorrow( Thursday ),” he said.

He added that the family refused to get the couple’s photographs clicked.

On September 2 amid violence, Owais Geelani, a sub-inspector of Jammu and Kashmir Police, had married Faiza Geelani amid raging tension in the Valley.

Like families of Arif and Kajal, two families of Owais Geelani and Fiaza are also related to each other but were separated during Partition.

Amid firing and shelling on the borders, it is a positive development... There are several families on either side of the border which have blood relations in both parts of divided Kashmir. SHABIR AHMED BHAT, Rajouri deputy commissioner