NAROWAL: The woman who was separated from her family during the violence at the time of the Partition of India met her Sikh brothers at Kartarpur.

At the time of the Partition, Mumtaz Bibi was an infant who was lying on the dead body of her mother who was killed by the local violent mobs.

One Muhammad Iqbal and his wife, Allah Rakhi, adopted the baby girl and raised her as their own daughter, naming her Mumtaz Bibi. After the Partition, Iqbal took up residence at the village of Varika Tian in Sheikhupura district.

Iqbal and his wife did not tell Mumtaz that she was not their daughter. Two years ago, Iqbal’s health suddenly deteriorated and he told Mumtaz that she was not his real daughter and that her real family was Sikh.

After Iqbal’s death, Mumtaz and her son, Shahbaz, started searching for her family through social media. They knew the name of Mumtaz’s real father and the village (Sidrana) in Patiala district of Indian Punjab where they settled after being forced to leave their native home. Both the families got connected through social media.

Mumtaz’s brothers Sardar Gurumeet Singh, Sardar Narendra Singh and Sardar Amrinder Singh, accompanied by family members, reached Gurdwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur. Mumtaz along with her other family members reached there also and met her lost brothers after 75 years.

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2022