'Permit' Problems
PoK woman can't get last glimpse of her mother
Shariq Majeed
Tribune News Service

Poonch, January 15
A 65-year-old resident of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir couldn't meet her ailing Sikh mother in this side of Jammu and Kashmir as she couldn't get the required travel permit in time.

And when Sayida Begum finally got the permit to travel to India through Poonch-Rawlakote trans-LoC road, her mother Chandra Wati had passed away.

Today, Sayida has just one appeal to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. "Opening of trans-Line of Control is well appreciated but please make the process of permits easy and less time consuming."

"I have heard that the two countries are taking confidence building measures for peace in the region and opening of roads is an important step in uniting the divided families. Though the two countries should be praised for uniting the divided families, I feel that the procedure for getting permits is too complex and is too time consuming," says Sayida.

"Had the permit system been simple and less time consuming, I would have met my dying mother," rues the tearful woman. "I will have to live with the fact that I couldn't see my mother after I got separated from her during partition."

Sayida says she applied for permit in May 2006 and had to wait for about two years for getting the same. "Two years is a long time to unite the divided families. This time took the life of my mother," she adds.

"I couldn't meet my mother when she was dying, but I hope that the two governments would think over it and cut down the time for issuing permits".

Sayida Begum's parents Chandra Wati and Jarman Dass originally hailed from Pir Kote in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). Sayida was just six when her father Jarman Dass was killed by the mob during the riots during Partition.

Her mother Chandra Wati got Sayida married at an age of seven to a Fakir Muhammad. After that, Sayida's mother crossed over to this side and married Sham Singh, a Sikh.

After she came to know that her mother had crossed over to this side of border, Sayida continued her search and three years back succeeded in tracing out the whereabouts of her mother.

Immediately after she came to know about her mother's whereabouts that she applied for permit but got it a month back only.

Senior Officer in district administration admitted that it takes much time in getting permits, but he attributes the delay to various investigations.