Refugees ("South of the Border")

There is lot of news for some time and it frequently reminds me of this problem with personal experiences

Yes, That takes me back to 1947 time of Partition of India by the British when they left India. Although we had transferred (Most of the family) to Punjab in 1944, My father was still running his clinic (Hikmat) and was wrapping up everything to make final transfer completed. The Punjab village was a small one with a capacious house built in preparation for living good according to our mother's plans. It turned out to be huge c omfort for us a "refugee" of some kind. Even before the 14-5th of August 1947 some convenient crossings of the "border" (Government created) especially those who had families acroos the border the Hindus crossing to "India" and Muslims crossing to "Pakistan"

 The real crossings however in very large numbers began after 15th August. Those who had no relatives and no houses  would still cross over to be safe from being killed. Yes this is different from these crowds that I see on TV of groups of people with bags and baggages or without them just to be on the soil of America in the hope of better living. Our Muslim crossing groups were always liable to be attacked by Indian Hindus and Sikhs This was one of the many "Hindu-Muslim" riots. Total of several million Muslims sought refuge and millions lost their lives, lost their families children lost their parents etc. A couple of years I spent trying to cope with these everyday news of killings and bloodfilled crossings

  My father left Saugor (Central India)  and came to Punjab on 26th July by train. The train crossing the wouldbe border of India-Pakistan 27th July was attacked by nonMuslim mobs and killed many Muslims. The killings had started. Although our village was far removed from Indian border there was a scare that Sikhs may come to attach Muslim homes

   The experience of my wife (sarwat) was more hurtful She lived with parents in a small town that was undecided until later than August 15 that it will remain in India. So she had to cross with her parents to Pakistan only 16 miles away that was Government controlled Trains crossing Just as the new Pakistan Government (less equipped) arranged such safer crossings of refugees by buses and trains which sometimes were attaked anyway

What Sarwat remembers as a 6-7 yr old girl walking or on her fathers shoulders watching families and groups of people with or without an belongings walkign or on bullock carts or any other means of transportations that could be afforded 

 Yes there were temporary arrangements for stay of refugees in tents or no tents There were refugees spread all over Pakistan near or even not so near the Indian borders It was ahorrible sight for all to see and also the sensitive little girl who lived through this watching the human plight which was one of the reasons she badopted Psychiatry as her chosen specialty as a physician

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