Another cross-LoC wedding: Groom from Uri, bride from Chinari

Another cross-LoC wedding: Groom from Uri, bride from Chinari

Muzaffarabad, Apr 7: The distance between their homes—divided by an unmarked Line of Control (LoC)—is barely 30 kilometers, but Muhammad Irfan of Jammu and Kashmir had to travel over 1100 kilometers through the Wagah-Attari international border to get wedded to Esma Bashir of Pakistan administered Kashmir (PaK).

The wedding ceremony of the cross-LoC couple took place in Muzaffarabad Sunday, with guests, mostly relatives, wishing them a happy married life as well as safe and pleasant travels across the divide, undisturbed by the traditional ups and downs in relations between India and Pakistan.

The 25-year-old groom runs business in Salamabad (Uri) in North Kashmir besides pursuing his post-graduation.

He is cousin of his 24-year old bride, who was born in the town of Chinari, some 50 kms away from Muzaffarabad and 10 kms before the LoC.

Esma’s parents had made it to the other side of the divide in 2007 and 2009 via Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bus service.

In 2011, she along with her three siblings visited J&K through the same route.

They spent six weeks with their paternal and maternal relatives.

It was in 2014 that the divided families decided on marrying Esma with Irfan.

Even though Irfan and his parents had also obtained the trans-LoC travel permit, they were however compelled to take an arduous route to Muzaffarabad through the Wagah-Attari border due to some "legal requirements."

From Uri to Chinari, it was a journey of more than 1100 kms through the international border as against 30 kms through the LoC.

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In Chinari, the couple’s ‘nikah’ was solemnized on Friday, while ‘rukhsati’ was held here Sunday.

"I am very happy that we have become a source of cementing relationship between our families," said Irfan, who was wearing a white sherwani, red pyjama and a white turban with Kalghi. The wedding dress was brought from Srinagar.

Esma was equally ecstatic.

"I was in love with the place where my parents had their roots… By the strike of luck, I am going there as a bride," she said.

Irfan and his parents would return via Wagah-Attari border sometime next week, along with the bride whose visa they had already obtained from the Indian government.

Irfan maintained that India and Pakistan have consistently shown "remarkable commitment" to their confidence building measures on Kashmir, regardless of tensions on other issues between the two countries.

"We are hopeful that other future cross-LoC life partners will enjoy special felicitations and facilitations from both sides under the same spirit," he said, asking Islamabad and New Delhi to facilitate travel of wedding parties from either side through the LoC.

This is the third trans-LoC marriage in five years in which one or both spouses belong to Uri or Chinari. In each case, wedding parties had to travel through the international border.

In October 2013, Yasir Shafi, son of Muhammad Shafi—the National Conference MLA from Uri and a former member of Rajiya Sabha—tied the nuptial knot with Dr Sarah Saif, daughter of Dr Khawaja Saif Din, in Muzaffarabad.

In 2010, Ajaz Ahmed Meer of Chinari married his cousin Kousar Parveen whose parents come from Uri but have settled in Srinagar since 1960s. However, while Kousar has travelled to Srinagar thrice through Wagah-Attari border, Meer has been unable to make it to the other side, despite applying four times for the trans-LoC travel permit.

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