Rather for lifting cross-border travel restrictions permanently

JAMMU: Highlighting the pain and agony inflicted on the people of the State living on two sides of the Indo-Pak borders due to 1947 partition of the country, the Minister for Finance and Ladakh Affairs, Mr. Ab. Rahim Rather today made a fervent appeal to the External Affairs Ministries of the two Countries to relax cross-border travel restrictions so that divided families could meet without any difficulty.
“The people living on two sides of Indo-Pak borders have a deep yearing for peace and want to remove the man made barriers due to partition line between them”, Mr. Rather said after releasing the Urdu/Hindi version of Pahari film “Lakeer” at Press club, Jammu today and strongly pleaded for exploring the possibility of lifting visa, permit and passport restrictions permanently for free travel across the borders. He said people across the Indo-Pak borders are geographically & culturally akin to each other observing that 6 decades of manmade partition could not remove their emotional, cultural and linguistic attachments. “Time has now come for rulers of both sides to ponder over the hardship of the people on this account and remove these barriers once for all”, Mr. Rather added. He said intentions of Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh in this regard are crystal clear and he had even constituted a separate Working Group exclusively to deal with this issue adding that the rulers of the other side too should reciprocate in a positive manner;
The Minister for Medical Education, Youth Services and Sports, Mr. R.S.Chib besides Director, Door Darshan, Jammu, Mr. Shabir Mujahid, IGP Jammu, Mr. Dilbagh Singh, Director of the Film Lakeer, Mr. Shiv Dutt, Script Writer, Khalid Hussain and a large number artists were present on the occasion.
Mr. Rather said during his visits to Pakistan and POK to participate in various conferences, he has seen the people there feeling the same pain due to partition as the people in India and Jammu and Kashmir feel.
“Many elders have died without meeting their wards and mothers have lost their eye sight endlessly waiting in the hope of seeing their departed sons”, Mr. Rather said, adding how long this human tragedy will go on? Strongly advocating for free travel permission across the borders, Mr. Rather said this would also help the people to see problems and advancements in their respective areas.
Appreciating NGO Abhiyan for bringing urdu version of the Pahari film “Lakeer” with an objective to spread the message of peace and amity among all people, Mr. Rather said Government would encourage any endeavour aimed at fostering brotherhood and amity between the people living on two sides of borders. He said entertainment tax has already been exempted on screening of the film “Lakeer” as well as on ongoing local Dogri Film as such films prove very helpful in peculating down a particular message more effectively.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Chib called for promotion of film Industry in the State to portrait scenic splendour and rich cultural heritage of the State besides exploiting talent of the local artists. He said screening of “Lakeer” in Urdu/Hindi version would people in larger number about the history of the country and would help to strengthen bonds of brotherhood and love. He said partition of 1947 has affected the whole country but J&K has suffered more. He said the film needs to be screened in other side of the border also to make general people aware about the pain and tragedy of partition.
Shiv Dutt, the producer\director of Lakeer, which has already completed one year of screening in different parts of the State such as Jammu city, Rajouri, Thannamandi, Darhal, Mendhar , Sunderbani, Nowshera, Poonch from Jammu Division and Uri & Karnah from Kashmir Division, said that the new Hindi\Urdu version of Lakeer has been made after the great demand and pressure from the non-Pahari speaking public. He said that the new version of Lakeer, dubbed in Hindi/Urdu language, will open up a larger domain of viewership to see the depiction of pain of the turmoil of 1947 Partition and division of the land and people of J&K state.
IGP Jammu and Director Doordarshan Jammu also spoke on the occasion.(KMW News)